Fluorescence polarization immunoassay evaluated for screening for amphetamine and methamphetamine in urine

We studied the recently developed Abbott fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) for amphetamine and methamphetamine in urine and compared the results with those of the Syva enzyme-multiplied immunoassay technique (EMIT) and a gas-chromatographic assay. The FPIA method showed a limit of quantification of 0.3 mg/L, comparable with the lower cutoff of the EMIT assay. FPIA demonstrated greater specificity than the EMIT assay: phenylpropanolamine and ephedrine showed extremely limited cross reactivity with the FPIA antibody. Analysis of 249 urine specimens by all three methods clearly demonstrated the FPIA method to be acceptable for screening for amphetamine and methamphetamine in urine.