The pharmacokinetics of the anti-inflammatory drug benzydamine were determined after intravenous infusion of 5 mg to six healthy male subjects. Benzydamine was characterized as a drug of relatively low systemic clearance (ca. 160 ml min-1) but high volume of distribution (ca. 1101); the apparent terminal half-life in plasma was ca. 8 h. Benzydamine was well absorbed after oral administration, as indicated by a mean systemic availability of 87 per cent. However, absorption of the drug was low (less than 10 per cent of the dose) after its use by male subjects as a mouthwash, or after its application to female subjects as dermal cream and vaginal douche preparations. The data suggest that benzydamine is generally not well absorbed through the skin and non-specialized mucosae, thereby limiting unrequired systemic exposure to this drug when it is used by these routes.