A double-blind, multi-centre study was carried out in general practice to compare the efficacy and tolerance of treatment with bromazepam and lorazepam in 671 patients with anxiety. Patients were treated at random with either bromazepam (3 to 9 mg per day) or lorazepam (1 to 3 mg per day) for periods up to 2 weeks. In the doctors' global assessment of response, significantly more patients improved on bromazepam (84%) compared with lorazepam (77%). Thirty-three percent of the bromazepam patients reported at least one unwanted event compared with 37% in the lorazepam group. The results are discussed in the context of improving the benefit-risk ratio.