Six healthy volunteers received single iv and oral doses of 2-[p-(1-oxo-2-isoindolinyl)phenyl] butyric acid 100 mg (indobufen; K 3920), an inhibitor of platelet aggregation. Plasma levels and urinary excretion of the drug were determined by GLC. Collagen-induced platelet aggregation was assessed turbidimetrically at various intervals after administration. The plasma half-life of the drug was 7--8 h and more than 70% of the administered dose was recovered within 48 h in urine, as unchanged drug and as the glucuronide of indobufen. After oral administration of tablets of two different formulations, the drug was completely absorbed, but one formulation showed faster absorption. The maximal inhibitory effect on platelet aggregation was observed 1 to 4 h after iv administration, and it had decreased by 8h. After tablets, peak effect and the time of the peak were similar, but activity was significantly prolonged, in accordance with the higher plasma levels found at 8 h. The data suggest that the effect of indobufen on platelets is reversible, and that for this drug platelets behave as a compartment that slowly equilibrates with plasma.