Buprenorphine detection in biological samples.

Buprenorphine is a narcotic analgesic used in the treatment of moderate-to-severe pain. In Italy, buprenorphine is now being used as an alternative in the therapeutic treatment of heroin abusers. Even if confirmation methods are needed for identification and quantitation, a rapid and sensitive test, such as an immunoassay, is essential for screening. We evaluated the Buprenorphine One-step ELISA test (designed for serum specimens) for the qualitative determination of buprenorphine in other matrices, such as urine, saliva and hair.