To determine the elimination phenotype of the uricosuric agent benzbromarone 100 mg of the drug was administered as a single oral dose to 11 volunteers on a formula diet; plasma concentration-time profiles of the parent drug and the main metabolites M 1 (l'-hydroxybenzbromarone) and M 2 (6-hydroxy-benzbromarone) were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography for 168 h. Of the 11 subjects 2 showed higher plasma concentrations and delayed elimination of benzbromarone and metabolite M1 but reduced formation of metabolite M 2 compared to the other 9 subjects. However, the plasma concentration-time profiles of the metabolites in these two slow eliminators, termed type 2, differed from those of a poor eliminator characterized during a previous study; the latter, termed type 1, eliminated benzbromarone as well as both metabolites M~ and M 2 slowly. The differences in the elimination of benzbromarone and its metabolites are probably caused by differences in the activities of the cytochrome P45o mono-oxygenase isozymes. The results show that determination of the phenotype solely by measurement of the 24-h benzbromarone plasma concentration does not unequivocally characterize slow benzbromarone eliminators; additional plasma concentration-time profiles of the parent drug and metabolites are necessary. Metabolite M 2 is characterized as 6-hydroxybenzbromarone; the formation and elimination of the chiral metabolite M 1 is enantioselective.