Valeric acid is a colorless, oily liquid with an unpleasant odor. It is highly corrosive and must be handled with care. Valeric acid is mainly used as a chemical intermediate to manufacture flavors and perfumes, synthetic lubricants, agricultural chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. It is also used as a flavoring aid in foods. Valeric acid is considered safe as a food additive by the World Health Organization.

Thioctic acid also known as alpha-lipoic acid is a dietary supplement, which is a common ingredient in OTC (over-the-counter) multivitamin formulas and anti-aging supplements. Thioctic acid exists in both R- and S-enantiomeric forms, however, only R-form is essential as a cofactor in biological systems (the acid is coupled via an amide linkage to a lysine of several multienzyme complexes, such as the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex, the glycine cleavage system and the branched-chain oxo acid dehydrogenase complex). Most commercially available thioctic acid supplements are a mixture of both R and S enantiomers or R-form alone. Several studies have shown that the acid has beneficial effect on diabetes complications, cancer, glaucome, liver disease, etc. The mechanisms of thioctic acid is related to its antioxidant properties, metal chelator properties, however, those mechanisms need futher confirmation.

Diflucortolone (used in the form of valerate prodrug) is a corticosteroid developed for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases. It is supposed that Diflucortolone acts by inducing Annexin A1, a phospholipase A2 inhibitory protein, and thus controls the biosynthesis of prostagladins and leukotrienes. The drug is marketed as a cream under the tradename Nerisone.