Determination of bromazepam in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric detection: application to a bioequivalence study

A simple method using a one-step liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) followed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with positive ion electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric (ESI-MS/MS) detection was developed for the determination of bromazepam in human plasma, using lorazepam as internal standard. The acquisition was performed in the multiple reaction monitoring mode, monitoring the transitions: m/z 316 > 182 for bromazepam and m/z 321 > 275 for lorazepam. The method was linear over the studied range (1-100 ng ml(-1)), with r(2) > 0.98, and the run time was 2.5 min. The intra- and inter-assay precisions were 2.7-14.6 and 4.1-17.3%, respectively and the intra- and inter-assay accuracies were 87-111 and 75.8-109.5%, respectively. The mean recovery was 73.7%, ranging from 64.5 to 79.7%. The limit of quantification was 1 ng ml(-1). At this concentration the mean intra- and inter-assay precisions were 14.6 and 7.1%, respectively, and the mean intra- and inter-assay accuracies were 102.5 and 104%, respectively. Bromazepam stability was evaluated and the results showed that the drug is stable in standard solution and in plasma samples under typical storage and processing conditions. The method was applied to a bioequivalence study in which 27 healthy adult volunteers (14 men) received single oral doses (6 mg) of reference and test bromazepam formulations, in an open, two-period, randomized, crossover protocol. The 90% confidence interval of the individual ratios (test formulation/reference formulation) for C(max) (peak plasma concentration), AUC(0-96) and AUC(0-inf) (area under the plasma concentration versus time curve from time zero to 96 h and to infinity, respectively) were within the range 80-125%, which supports the conclusion that the test formulation is bioequivalent to the reference formulation regarding the rate and extent of bromazepam absorption.     

Determination of didanosine in human serum by on-line solid-phase extraction coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric detection: application to a bioequivalence study

A method based on solid-phase extraction coupled to liquid chromatography with positive ion electrospray ionization and tandem mass spectrometric detection was developed for the determination of didanosine in human serum, using lamivudine as internal standard. The acquisition was performed in the multiple reaction monitoring mode, monitoring the transitions m/z 237 --> 136.7 for didanosine and m/z 230 --> 111.7 for lamivudine. The method was linear over the range studied (10-1500 ng ml(-1)), with r(2) > 0.98, and the run time was 5 min. The intra- and inter-assay precisions were < or =10% and the intra- and inter-assay accuracies were >95%. The absolute recoveries were 99.8% (10 ng ml(-1)), 98.4% (30 ng ml(-1)), 91.5% (700 ng ml(-1)) and 94.7% (1200 ng ml(-1)). The limits of detection and quantitation were 5 and 10 ng ml(-1), respectively. The method was applied to a bioequivalence study, in which 24 healthy adult volunteers (12 men) received single oral doses (200 mg) of reference and test didanosine formulations (buffered powder for oral solutions), in an open, two-way, randomized, crossover protocol. The 90% confidence interval of the individual ratios (test formulation/reference formulation) for C(max) (peak serum concentration) and AUC(0-inf) (area under the serum concentration versus time curve from time zero to infinity) were within the range 80-125%, which supports the conclusion that the two formulations are bioequivalent regarding the rate and extent of didanosine absorption.     

Determination of anethole trithione in human plasma using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometric detection

A rapid, sensitive and reliable high performance liquid chromatographic method coupled with tandem mass spectrometry via electrospray ionization (ESI) source (HPLC-MS/MS) has been developed and validated for the determination of anethole trithione (ATT) in human plasma. Diazepam was employed as the internal standard (IS). Sample extracts following liquid-liquid extraction were injected into the HPLC-MS/MS system. The analyte and IS were eluted isocratically on a C₁₈ column, with a mobile phase consisting of methanol and aqueous ammonium acetate solution (5 mM) (80:20, v/v) .The ions were detected by a triple quadrupole mass spectrometric detector in the positive mode. Quantification was performed using selected reaction monitoring (SRM) of the transitions m/z 240.88 → 197.91 and m/z 285.01 → 193.02 for ATT and for the IS, respectively. The analysis time for each run was 5.0 min. The calibration curve fitted well over the concentration range of 0.02-5 ng mL⁻¹, with the regression equation y = 1.1014x + 0.0003631, r = 0.9992. The intra-batch and inter-batch R.S.D.% were less than 15% at all concentration levels within the calibration range. The recoveries were more than 80%. The present method provides a modern, rapid and robust procedure for the pharmacokinetic study of ATT. Some important pharmacokinetic parameters of ATT in healthy Chinese volunteers are also given for the first time.     

Nevirapine quantification in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. Application to bioequivalence study

A rapid, sensitive and specific method to quantify nevirapine in human plasma using dibenzepine as the internal standard (IS) was developed and validated. The method employed a liquid-liquid extraction. The analyte and the IS were chromatographed on a C(18) analytical column, (150 x 4.6 mm i.d. 4 microm) and analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry in the multiple reaction monitoring mode. The method had a chromatographic run time of 5.0 min and a linear calibration curve over the range 10-5000 ng ml(-1) (r(2) > 0.9970). The between-run precision, based on the relative standard deviation for replicate quality controls was 1.3% (30 ng ml(-1)), 2.8% (300 ng ml(-1)) and 3.6% (3000 ng ml(-1)). The between-run accuracy was 4.0, 7.0 and 6.2% for the above-mentioned concentrations, respectively. This method was employed in a bioequivalence study of two nevirapine tablet formulations (Nevirapina from Far-Manguinhos, Brazil, as a test formulation, and Viramune from Boehringer Ingelheim do Brasil Química e Farmacêutica, as a reference formulation) in 25 healthy volunteers of both sexes who received a single 200 mg dose of each formulation. The study was conducted using an open, randomized, two-period crossover design with a 3 week washout interval. The 90% confidence interval (CI) of the individual ratio geometric mean for Nevirapina/Viramune was 96.4-104.5% for AUC((0-last)), 91.4-105.1% for AUC((0-infinity)) and 95.3-111.6% for C(max) (AUC = area under the curve; C(max) = peak plasma concentration). Since both 90% CI for AUC((0-last)) and AUC((0-infinity)) and C(max) were included in the 80-125% interval proposed by the US Food and Drug Administration, Nevirapina was considered bioequivalent to Viramune according to both the rate and extent of absorption.     

Simultaneous quantification of cilostazol and its primary metabolite 3,4-dehydrocilostazol in human plasma by rapid liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

A simple, rapid, sensitive and selective liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of cilostazol and its primary metabolite 3,4-dehydrocilostazol in human plasma using mosapride as an internal standard. The method involves a simple one-step liquid-liquid extraction with a diethyl ether and dichloromethane mixture (7:3). The analytes were chromatographed using an isocratic mobile phase on a reversed-phase C₁₈ column and analyzed by mass spectrometry in the multiple reaction monitoring mode using the respective [M+H]⁺ ions, m/z 370/288 for cilostazol, m/z 368/286 for 3,4-dehydrocilostazol and m/z 422/198 for the internal standard. The assay exhibited a linear dynamic range of 5–2,000 ng/mL for cilostazol and 5–400 ng/mL for 3,4-dehydrocilostazol in human plasma. The lower limit of quantitation was 5 ng/mL for both cilostazol and its metabolite. Acceptable precision and accuracy were obtained for concentrations over the standard curve ranges. A run time of 2.5 min for each sample made it possible to analyze more than 400 human plasma samples per day. The validated method has been successfully used to analyze human plasma samples for application in pharmacokinetics, bioavailability or bioequivalence studies.      

Bromazepam determination in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry: a highly sensitive and specific tool for bioequivalence studies

A rapid, sensitive and specific method to quantify bromazepam in human plasma using diazepam as the internal standard (IS) is described. The analyte and the IS were extracted from plasma by liquid-liquid extraction using diethyl ether-hexane (80 : 20, v/v). The extracts were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Chromatography was performed isocratically on a Genesis C(18) analytical column (100 x 2.1 mm i.d., film thickness 4 microm). The method had a chromatographic run time of 5.0 min and a linear calibration curve over the range 5.0-150 ng ml(-1) (r(2) > 0.9952). The limit of quantification was 5 ng ml(-1). This HPLC/MS/MS procedure was used to assess the bioequivalence of two bromazepam 6 mg tablet formulations (bromazepam from Medley SA Indústria Farmacêutica as the test formulation and Lexotan from Produtos Roche Químico e Farmacêutico SA as the reference formulation). A single 6 mg dose of each formulation was administered to 24 healthy volunteers (12 males and 12 females). The study was conducted using an open, randomized, two-period crossover design with a 3 week washout interval. Since the 90% CI for C(max), AUC(last), AUC(0-240 h) (linear) and AUC((0- infinity )) ratios were all inside the 80-125% interval proposed by the US Food and Drug Administration, it was concluded that the bromazepam formulation from Medley is bioequivalent to the Lexotan formulation for both the rate and the extent of absorption.     

Determination of cilnidipine, a new calcium antagonist, in human plasma using high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection

A rapid, sensitive and reliable high performance liquid chromatographic method coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS) has been developed and validated for the determination of cilnidipine, a relatively new calcium antagonist, in human plasma. The reversed-phase chromatographic system was interfaced with a TurboIonSpray (TIS) source. Nimodipine was employed as the internal standard (IS). Sample extracts following protein precipitation were injected into the HPLC–MS/MS system. The analyte and IS were eluted isocratically on a C18 column, with a mobile phase consisting of CH₃OH and NH₄Ac (96:4, v/v). The ions were detected by a triple quadrupole mass spectrometric detector in the negative mode. Quantification was performed using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) of the transitions m/z 491.2 → 122.1 and m/z 417.1 → 122.1 for cilnidipine and for the IS, respectively. The analysis time for each run was 3.0 min. The calibration curve fitted well over the concentration range of 0.1–10 ng mL⁻¹, with the regression equation Y = (0.103 ± 0.002)X + (0.014 ± 0.003) (n = 5), r = 0.9994. The intra-day and inter-day R.S.D.% were less than 12.51% at all concentration levels within the calibration range. The recoveries were between 92.71% and 97.64%. The long-term stability and freeze-thaw stability were satisfying at each level. The present method provides a modern, rapid and robust tool for pharmacokinetic studies of cilnidipine.     

Development and validation of a liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of isomangiferin in rat plasma with application to a preclinical pharmacokinetic study

A sensitive and specific liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was firstly developed for the measurement of isomangiferin in rat plasma. Chloramphenicol was selected as the internal standard. Sample preparation was carried out through a simple one‐step protein precipitation procedure with methanol. Negative electrospray ionization was performed using multiple reaction monitoring mode with transitions of m/z 421.1/301.1 for isomangiferin, and 321.1/151.9 for chloramphenicol. The calibration curve was linear over the range of 0.1–600 ng/mL, with a lower limit of quantification at 0.1 ng/mL. The intra‐ and interday precisions (relative standard deviation) were no more than 8.2% and accuracies (relative error) were within the range of –8.4 to 2.2%. The recovery, matrix effect and stability under different conditions were all proved acceptable. The validated method has been successfully applied to a preclinical pharmacokinetic study of isomangiferin in rats for the first time.     

Determination of fungicides in wine by mixed-mode solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry

A novel procedure for the determination of nine selected fungicides (metalaxyl-M, azoxystrobin, myclobutanil, flusilazole, penconazole, tebuconazole, propiconazole, diniconazole and difenoconazole) in wine samples is presented. Sample enrichment and purification is simultaneously performed using mixed-mode, anion exchange and reversed-phase, OASIS MAX solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridges. Analytes were determined by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry using atmospheric pressure electrospray ionization (LC-ESI-MS/MS). Parameters affecting the chromatographic determination and the extraction-purification processes were thoroughly investigated. Under optimized conditions, 10 mL of wine were firstly diluted 1:1 with ultrapure water and then passed through the mixed-mode SPE cartridge at a flow of ca. 5 mLmin(-1). After a washing step with 5 mL of an aqueous NH(4)OH solution (5%, w:v), analytes were recovered with just 1 mL of methanol and injected in the LC-MS/MS system without any additional purification. The selective extraction process avoided significant changes in the ionization efficiency for red and white wine extracts in comparison with pure standards in methanol. Performance of the method was good in terms of precision (RSDs<11%) and accuracy (absolute recoveries>72%, determined against pure standards in methanol) reporting method LOQs in the range of 0.01-0.79 ngmL(-1) for target compounds, which are far below the EU maxima residue levels (MRLs) for fungicides in vinification grapes and wine. Several commercial wines from different geographic areas in Spain were analyzed. In most samples, metalaxyl-M and azoxystrobin were found at concentrations up to several ngmL(-1).     

Determination of cisapride in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

Summary A new sensitive HPLC-FLD method has been developed and validated for the determination of cisapride in human plasma for a bioequivalence study. A gradient method was used to remove late-eluting plasma components of no interest. The separation was performed on a Li-ChroCART 250-4 Purospher RP-18 (5 μm particle) analytical column fitted with a LiChroCART 4-4 Purospher RP-18 endcapped (5 μm particle) guard column. The excitation and emission wavelengths were 295 and 350 nm during fluorescence detection. The calibration plot was linear in the range of 5–200 ng mL⁻¹. A demethoxy analogue of cisapride was used as internal standard.     

Determination of flomoxef in human plasma by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

A specific, sensitive, rapid and reproducible method for the determination of flomoxef in human plasma using high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was developed and validated. Flomoxef was detected using an electrospay ionization method operated in negative‐ion mode. Chromatographic separation was performed in gradient elution mode on a Luna® C₁₈(2) column (3 μm , 20 × 4.0 mm) at a flow rate of 1 mL/min and runtime 3.5 min. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and water containing 0.1% formic acid as additive. Extraction of flomoxef from plasma and precipitation of plasma proteins was performed with acetonitrile with an absolute recovery of 86.4 ± 1.6%. The calibration curve was linear with a correlation coefficient of 0.999 over the concentration range 10–5000 ng/mL and the lower limit of quantification was 10 ng/mL. The intra‐ and inter‐day precisions were <11.8%, while the accuracy ranged from 99.6 to 109.0%. A stability study of flomoxef revealed that it could be successfully analyzed at 4ºС over 24 h, but it was unstable in solutions at room temperature during short‐term storage (4 h) and several freeze–thaw cycles. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantitative determination of domperidone in human plasma by ultraperformance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

A simple and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for determining domperidone in human plasma. The analyte and internal standard (IS; mosapride) were isolated from plasma samples by protein precipitation with methanol (containing 0.1% formic acid). The chromatographic separation was performed on an Xterra MS C(18) Column (2.1 x 150 mm, 5.0 microm) with a gradient programme mobile phase consisting of 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 0.30 mL/min. The total run time was 4.0 min. The analyses were carried out by multiple reaction monitoring using the parent-to-daughter combinations m/z 426 --> 175 and m/z 422 --> 198 (IS). The areas of peaks from the analyte and IS were used for quantification of domperidone. The method was validated according to the FDA guidelines on bioanalytical method validation. Validation results indicated that the lower limit of quantification was 0.2 ng/mL, and the assay exhibited a linear range of 0.2-60.0 ng/mL and gave a correlation coefficient (r(2)) of 0.999 or better. Quality control samples (0.4, 0.8, 15 and 50 ng/mL) in six replicates from three different analytical runs demonstrated an intra-assay precision (RSD) 4.43-6.26%, an inter-assay precision 5.25-7.45% and an overall accuracy (relative error) of <6.92%. The method can be applied to pharmacokinetic and bioequivalence studies of domperidone.     

Determination of thymopentin in beagle dog blood by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry and its application to a preclinical pharmacokinetic study

The pentapeptide thymopentin (Arg‐Lys‐Asp‐Val‐Tyr, RKDVY) corresponds to amino acids 32–36 of the 49 amino acid immunomodulatory polypeptide, thymopoietin, whose biological activity is partially reproduced. Thymopentin is widely used in the clinic and represents a promising target for drug design but bioanalytical and pharmacokinetic data are limited due to its enzymatic instability. This paper reports a rapid and sensitive method based on liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of thymopentin in beagle dog blood. To inactivate peptidases and stabilize thymopentin, acetonitrile was added to blood samples immediately after collection followed by addition of stable isotope‐labeled thymopentin as internal standard and washing with dichloromethane. Chromatography was carried out on an Ascentis Express Peptide ES‐C₁₈ column using gradient elution with methanol and aqueous 0.1% formic acid at a flow rate of 0.6 mL/min. Positive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry with selected reaction monitoring achieved linearity in the range of 1.5–800 ng/mL with good accuracy/precision and minimal matrix effects. The method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in beagle dogs after intravenous administration of 0.2 mg/kg thymopentin.     

Determination of lansoprazole enantiomers in dog plasma by column‐switching liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry and its application to a preclinical pharmacokinetic study

Lansoprazole, a selective proton pump inhibitor, has a chiral benzimidazole sulfoxide structure and is used for the treatment of gastric acid hypersecretory related diseases. To investigate its stereoselective pharmacokinetics, a column‐switching liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the determination of lansoprazole enantiomers in dog plasma using (+)‐pantoprazole as an internal standard. After a simple protein precipitation procedure with acetonitrile, matrix components left behind after sample preparation were further eliminated from the sample by reversed‐phase chromatography on a C₁₈ column. The fluent was fed to a chiral column for the separation of lansoprazole enantiomers. Baseline separation of lansoprazole enantiomers was achieved on a Chiralcel OZ‐RH column using acetonitrile/0.1% formic acid in water (35:65, v/v) as the mobile phase at 40°C. The linearity of the calibration curves ranged from 3 to 800 ng/mL for each enantiomer. Intra‐ and inter‐day precisions ranged from 2.1 to 7.3% with an accuracy of ±1.7% for (+)‐lansoprazole, and from 1.6 to 6.9% with an accuracy of ±3.5% for (–)‐lansoprazole, respectively. The validated method was successfully applied for the stereoselective pharmacokinetic study of lansoprazole in beagle dog after intravenous infusion.     

Determination of antimicrobial residues and metabolites in the aquatic environment by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

Antimicrobials are used in large quantities in human and veterinary medicine. Their environmental occurrence is of particular concern due to the potential spread and maintenance of bacterial resistance. After intake by the organisms, the unchanged drug and its metabolized forms are excreted and enter wastewater treatment plants where they are mostly incompletely eliminated, and are therefore eventually released into the aquatic environment. The reliable detection of several antimicrobials in different environmental aqueous compartments is the result of great improvements achieved in analytical chemistry. This article provides an overview of the more outstanding analytical methods based on liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, developed and applied to determine antimicrobial residues and metabolites present in surface, waste, and ground waters.      

Determination of free captopril in human plasma by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry detection

A new simple, sensitive and selective liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC/MS) method for quantification of captopril after precolumn derivatization with p-bromo-phenacyl-bromide in human plasma was validated. Plasma samples were analysed on a monolithic column (Cromolith Performance-RP 18e, 100 mm × 4.6 mm I.D., 3 μm) under isocratic conditions using a mobile phase of a 40:60 (v/v) mixture of acetonitrile and 0.1% (v/v) formic acid in water. The flow rate was 1 mL/min at the column temperature of 30 °C. In these chromatographic conditions, the retention time was 4.4 min for captopril derivative. The detection of the analyte was in MRM mode using an ion trap mass spectrometer with electrospray positive ionisation. The monitored ions were 216, 253, 255, 268, 270 m/z derived from 415 m/z for derivatized captopril. The sample preparation was very simple and consisted in plasma protein precipitation from 0.2 mL plasma using 0.3 mL methanol after the derivatization reaction was completed. Calibration curves were generated over the range of 10-3000 ng/mL with values for coefficient of correlation greater than 0.993 and by using a weighted (1/y²) quadratic regression. The values for precision (CV %) and accuracy (relative error %) at quantification limit were less than 9.9% and 3.9%, for within- and between-run, respectively. The mean recovery of the analyte was 99%. Derivatized samples demonstrated good short-term, long-term, post-preparative and freeze-thaw stability. This is the first reported LC-MS/MS method for analysis of captopril in human plasma that uses protein precipitation as sample processing procedure. The method is very simple and allows obtaining a very good recovery of the analyte. The validated LC-MS/MS method has been applied to a pharmacokinetic study of 50 mg captopril tablets on healthy volunteers.     

A simple and sensitive assay for the quantitative analysis of paclitaxel in human and mouse plasma and brain tumor tissue using coupled liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry

The development and validation of an assay for the determination of paclitaxel in human plasma, human brain tumor tissue, mouse plasma and mouse brain tumor tissue is described. Paclitaxel was extracted from the matrices using liquid-liquid extraction with tert-butyl methyl ether, followed by chromatographic analysis using an alkaline eluent. Positive ionization electrospray tandem mass spectrometry was performed for selective and sensitive detection. The method was validated according to the FDA guidelines on bioanalytical method validation. Validation results indicate that calibration standards in human plasma can be used to quantify paclitaxel in all tested matrices. In human samples, the validated range for paclitaxel was from 0.25-1000 ng ml(-1) using 200 microl plasma aliquots and from 5 to 5000 ng g(-1) using 50 microl tumor homogenate aliquots (0.2 g tissue ml(-1) control human plasma). In mice, the ranges were 1-1000 ng ml(-1) and 5-5000 ng g(-1) using 50 microl of mouse plasma and 50 microl of tumor homogenate aliquots (0.2 g tissue ml(-1) control human plasma), respectively. The method can be applied to studies generating only small sample volumes (e.g. mouse plasma and tumor tissue), but also to studies in human plasma requiring a lower limit of quantitation. The assay was applied successfully to several studies with both human and mouse samples.     

Plasma lipid analysis by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

A novel method for the analysis of endogenous lipids and related compounds was developed employing hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. A hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography with carbamoyl stationary phase achieved clear separation of phosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin, ceramide, and mono‐hexsosyl ceramide groups with good peak area repeatability (RSD% < 10) and linearity (R² > 0.99). The established method was applied to human plasma assays and a total of 117 endogenous lipids were successfully detected and reproducibly identified. In addition, we investigated the simultaneous detection of small polar metabolites such as amino and organic acids co‐existing in the same biological samples processed in a single analytical run with lipids. Our results show that hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography is a useful tool for human plasma lipidome analysis and offers more comprehensive metabolome coverage.     

Quantification of fexofenadine in human plasma by liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray tandem mass spectrometry using mosapride as internal standard

A rapid high-performance liquid chromatography/positive ion electrospray tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the quantification of fexofenadine in human plasma using mosapride as internal standard. Following solid-phase extraction, the analytes were separated using an isocratic mobile phase on a reverse-phase column and analyzed by MS/MS in the multiple reaction monitoring mode using the respective [M+H]+ ions, m/z 502/466 for fexofenadine and m/z 422/198 for the IS. The method exhibited a linear dynamic range of 1-500 ng/mL for fexofenadine in human plasma. The lower limit of quantification was 1 ng/mL with a relative standard deviation of less than 5% for fexofenadine. Acceptable precision and accuracy were obtained for concentrations over the standard curve range. The total chromatographic run time of 2 min for each sample made it possible to analyze more than 400 human plasma samples per day. The validated method has been successfully used to analyze human plasma samples for application in pharmacokinetic, bioavailability or bioequivalence studies.