RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Therapeutic drug monitoring of voriconazole: validation of a high performance liquid chromatography method and comparison with an ARK immunoassay JF European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy JO Eur J Hosp Pharm FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group SP 154 OP 159 DO 10.1136/ejhpharm-2019-002155 VO 28 IS 3 A1 Sara Blanco-Dorado A1 Maria Dolores Belles Medall A1 Oscar Pascual-Marmaneu A1 Manuel Campos-Toimil A1 Francisco Javier Otero-Espinar A1 Rafael Rodríguez-Riego A1 Teresa Rodríguez-Jato A1 Irene Zarra-Ferro A1 María Jesús Lamas A1 Anxo Fernández-Ferreiro YR 2021 UL http://ejhp.bmj.com/content/28/3/154.abstract AB Objective Voriconazole is an antifungal agent used in the treatment of aspergillosis and fluconazole-resistant Candida infections. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of voriconazole is recommended to optimise clinical results. The aim of this study was the development and validation of a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for measuring voriconazole in human serum, and comparison with an ARK immunoassay method.Methods Linearity, precision, accuracy and stability of the HPLC method were validated according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) guidelines. The method was applied to the analysis of 58 trough serum samples from patients treated with voriconazole, and the HPLC-UV (ultraviolet) method was compared with an ARK immunoassay. The correlation of both methods was studied by the Pearson regression coefficient and the concordance of the values was evaluated by the Bland-Altman and Passing-Bablok methods.Results All validation parameters met the criteria set out in the FDA and EMA guidelines. The standard curve was linear over a concentration range of 0.25–16 µg/mL with a limit of quantification of 0.125 µg/mL. No interactions between voriconazole and other drugs was observed and voriconazole was stable after 1 month at −80°C. Comparison of the HPLC method and the enzyme immunoassay method showed a linear correlation with a systematic error of −0.61 µg/mL between both methods.Conclusion The method developed is simple and fast and can be easily applied for routine therapeutic drug monitoring of voriconazole. The HPLC-UV method was more sensitive than the immunoassay method and there was concordance with the immunoassay. Consequently both methods could be used, considering the correlation between them.All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information.