Used as an intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceutical compounds, particularly in the development of antiviral and anticancer agents. Its structure allows for selective modifications, making it valuable in medicinal chemistry for optimizing drug candidates. Commonly employed in nucleoside analog synthesis, where the iodo group facilitates coupling reactions such as Suzuki or Stille cross-couplings. Also utilized in research settings to study enzyme inhibition, especially in thymidylate synthase and related metabolic pathways.