ESTIMATION OF NARCOTICS USING LC-MS/MS

Abstract

Bioequivalence and bioavailability studies are essential in early (Pilot Bioequivalence) and late (Pivotal
Bioequivalence) clinical development of drug candidates. Bioanalysis is the method to investigate the concentration
of drugs, their metabolites and/or endogenous substances in the matrices such as blood, plasma, serum,
cerebrospinal fluid, urine, and saliva. Chromatographic techniques like, HPLC, Gas chromatography, LC-MS, GCMS, Ligand binding assay, immunological and microbiological procedures are used for the bioanalysis purpose. The
method includes collection of sample, processing, storage in suitable conditions and finally analysis of a biological
matrix for a drug. Sports drug testing laboratories are required to detect several classes of compounds that are
prohibited at all times, which include anabolic agents, peptide hormones, growth factors, beta-2 agonists, hormones
and metabolic modulators and diuretics. Other classes of compounds such as stimulants, narcotics, glucocorticoids
are also prohibited, but only when an athlete is in competition. A single class of compounds can contain a large
number of prohibited substances and all of the compounds should be detected by using testing procedure on LCMS/MS instrument