Indeed, only (R)‐123 was able to inhibit the Mpro enzyme with an IC50 value of 1.5 µM, while the (S)‐enantiomer was inactive. (R)‐123 inhibited SARS‐CoV‐1 Mpro in a competitive manner (K i, 1.6 µM) with a noncovalent mode of inhibition. (R)‐123 also showed antiviral activity (12.9 µM) in mock infected and SARS‐CoV‐1 infected Vero E6 cells.