Used in the synthesis of protease inhibitors, particularly in the development of antiviral drugs such as those targeting HIV. Its chiral structure with specific stereochemistry makes it a valuable building block for constructing enzyme inhibitors that mimic peptide substrates. Commonly employed in medicinal chemistry for designing drugs that require high selectivity and potency against serine or cysteine proteases. Also utilized in the preparation of pharmacologically active intermediates for treatments involving metabolic and infectious diseases.