Journal of analytical toxicology
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Fentanyl and its analogs, such as acetylfentanyl, have become a concern for potential abuse. Fentanyl compliance monitoring and urine drug testing are becoming increasingly necessary; however, a limited number of fentanyl immunoassays have been validated for clinical use. The purpose of this study was to validate the use of the DRI® fentanyl immunoassay, determine the potential cross-reactivity of acetylfentanyl and other pharmaceuticals, and investigate acetylfentanyl use in San Francisco. ⋯ The fentanyl immunoassay demonstrated 100% diagnostic sensitivity in a subset of urines tested; however, the specificity was only 86% due to seven false-positive samples observed. Five of the seven samples were positive for risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone. The DRI® fentanyl immunoassay can be used to screen for fentanyl or acetylfentanyl; however, confirmatory testing should be performed for all samples that screen positive.