For research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

The most commonly-used screening category for drugs of abuse is called the NIDA-5 (National Institute on Drug Abuse), which include cannabinoids, opiates, amphetamines, cocaine, and phencyclidine (PCP). In urine, the target drugs and/or metabolites are amphetamine, methamphetamine, PCP, codeine, morphine, benzoylecgonine, 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM), and (±)-11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-THC (THC-COOH). Laboratory-based drug testing is usually performed in a two-step fashion using two different detection methods. The first step is a screening test and is usually done by immunoassay (ELISA, EMIT, or RIA). Suspected positive samples are confirmed using mass spectrometry (commonly GC/MS). Recently, LC/MS/MS has emerged as a reliable method to perform both drug screening and confirmation in urine without the setup requirements of immunoassays or the time-consuming sample preparation and derivatization required for GC/MS confirmation. Under SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), NIDA's current guidelines for federally-mandated testing, urine is the only specimen included for testing government employees and private sector employees covered under the US Department of Transportation or other agency guidelines. The described sample extraction technique provides an effective means to detect and quantify drugs of abuse in urine at or below the typical GC/MS cutoff values.

To learn more, please view this flyer: A Rapid iMethod™ Application for the Analysis of Drugs of Abuse in Urine