The combined use of high-performance liquid chromatography and radioimmunoassay for the bioanalysis of nicomorphine and its metabolites.

Methods have been developed for the determination of nicomorphine using reversed-phase HPLC with UV detection; for the simultaneous assay of morphine and mononicotinoylmorphine by a coupled normal-phase HPLC-radioimmunoassay method; and for conjugates of morphine and mononicotinoylmorphine by radioimmunoassay. The methods have been evaluated and applied to a pharmacokinetic study of nicomorphine administered intramuscularly.