Used as an intermediate in pharmaceutical synthesis, particularly in the development of bioactive molecules and drug candidates. Its structure supports the construction of complex nitrogen-containing heterocycles, which are common in medicinal chemistry. The aldehyde and ester functional groups allow for further chemical modifications, enabling the creation of diverse compound libraries for screening in drug discovery. It is also employed in the preparation of protease inhibitors and receptor ligands due to its ability to mimic peptide-like structures.