Used as a key intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, particularly in the development of isoquinoline-based bioactive compounds. Its structure supports the construction of nitrogen-containing heterocycles, which are common in drugs targeting neurological disorders, inflammation, and certain cancers. The compound's ester and ketone functional groups allow for selective chemical modifications, enabling the creation of diverse derivatives for structure-activity relationship studies in medicinal chemistry. It is also employed in the preparation of enzyme inhibitors and receptor ligands due to its rigid aromatic scaffold.