Quantitative Assay of Fentanyl and Analogs Using LC-MS/MS

Drug overdoses and drug-involved deaths continue to increase in the United States, with most drug overdose deaths involving opioids. Among drug overdose deaths, opioids, particularly fentanyl and its analogs, remain the most prevalent substances involved. Despite the increase in the recreational use of fentanyl analogs and their role in drug overdoses, fentanyl and its analogs are not commonly included in clinical drug testing panels due to the need for specialized testing platforms. To address this, a rapid, robust, and accurate LC-MS/MS method for the quantitation of fentanyl and fentanyl analogs was developed. Identification and quantitation of each analyte was made using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) with two transitions, along with the corresponding deuterated internal standard for each analyte for accurate measurement.