The aryl pyrimidine derivatives and pharmaceutically acceptable salts and N-oxides thereof, exhibit useful pharmacological properties, including utility as selective 5HT 2B-antagonists. The 5-HT 2B antagonist is a compound of the formula: STR1 wherein: R. sup.1 is hydrogen, alkyl, lower alkoxy, hydroxyalkyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkyl lower alkyl, alkenyl, lower thioalkoxy, halo, fluoroalkyl,--NR 6 R. sup.7,--CO 2 R 8,--O(CH 2) n R 9, or lower alkyl optionally substituted with hydroxy, alkoxy, halo, or aryl; in which n is 1, 2, or 3;R 6 and R 7 are hydrogen or lower alkyl; R 8 is hydrogen or lower alkyl; andR 9 is hydrogen, lower alkyl, hydroxy, hydroxy lower alkyl, lower alkenyl, or lower alkoxy;R. sup.2 is hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, halo, or lower fluoroalkyl; R 3 is optionally substituted aryl other than pyridyl, thienyl, or furanyl;R 4 is hydrogen, lower alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, acyl, amino, amido, aryl,--(CH 2) m NR. sup.10 R 11, or lower alkyl optionally substituted by amino, monosubstituted amino, disubstituted amino, hydroxy, carboxy, aryl, lower alkoxy, amido, alkoxy carbonyl, tetrahydrofuran-2-yl, hydroxyalkoxy, or sulfonamido;in whichR 10 and R. sup.11 are hydrogen or lower alkyl; andR 5 is hydrogen or lower alkyl; provided that: (i) when R 3 is naphthyl, indol-1-yl, or 2,3-dihydroindol-1-yl, and R 2, R 4 and R 5 are all hydrogen, R. sup.1 is not methyl; (ii) when R 3 is phenyl or naphthyl, R 1 is not--NR 6 R 7 ;(iii) when R 3 is phenyl, R 2 is not lower alkoxy, and R 1 and R 2 are not halo;(iv) when R 3 is phenyl and R 1 is H, R 2 is not methyl; and (v) when R 3 is 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolinyl, R 4 and R. sup.5 are hydrogen;or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or N-oxide thereof.