Multianalyte assay system developed for drugs of abuse

Abstract

A simple, 10-min immunoassay system has been devel-oped that simultaneously screens for five different classes of drugs of abuse in a urine sample. This system tests for amphetamines, cannabinoids, cocaine metabolites, opiates, and phencyclidine, and each assay has a specific preset cutoff concentration. Accuracy is >99% for reporting positive or negative results for samples with 200% or 50%, respectively, of the cutoff concentrations of the drugs. Tests of a panel of 96 compounds yielded only three cases of nonspecific reactivity (at a drug concentration of 100 mg/L). Another panel of 12 compounds that could normally be found in urine samples was also evaluated and no interferences were observed. Concordance was >95% between this system and the comparable automated immunoassays for detecting drugs of abuse. Greater than 98% of GC/MS-confirmed positive samples gave positive results with this assay system.