Implementation of a community-based LC-UV drug checking service: promising preliminary findings on feasibility and validity.
Harm reduction journal October 18, 2024 Nicolas Fabresse, Eurydice Papias, Alma Heckenroth et al. 3 citations
Drug checking services use analytical methods to identify substances in samples from people who use drugs. A quantitative LC-UV method was cross-validated against a reference LC-HRMS method at the DrugLab in Marseille, France. Across 102 samples, differences between the two methods for each molecule were ≤20%, with significant correlations for cocaine, ketamine, MDMA, heroin, amphetamine, caffeine, acetaminophen, and levamisole. LC-HRMS gave lower concentrations for cocaine and acetaminophen but higher values for other substances. The results demonstrate that LC-UV is accurate and reliable for simple drug matrices in a harm reduction context, though ongoing proficiency testing is needed to monitor accuracy over time.