Used as a chiral intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, particularly in the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) requiring high enantiomeric purity. Its structure supports the development of neurologically active compounds, including those targeting central nervous system disorders. The presence of the cyano and tert-butoxycarbonyl (Boc) groups allows for further chemical modifications, making it valuable in multi-step organic syntheses, especially in drug discovery and development. Commonly employed in asymmetric synthesis due to the (R)-configuration, which can influence the biological activity of the final drug product.