Used in pharmaceutical synthesis as a key intermediate for developing central nervous system (CNS) active drugs, particularly in the production of analgesics and neuropsychiatric agents. Its structural features support binding to opioid and monoaminergic receptors, making it valuable in research for pain management and mood disorder treatments. Commonly employed in medicinal chemistry for structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies due to its chiral piperidine core and functionalized side chain.