Development of fluoroimmunoassays for flecainide.

Antibodies raised in sheep against a flecainide:protein conjugate and fluorescein-labeled drug were used to develop simple fluoroimmunoassays for the measurement of flecainide acetate in serum or plasma. A rapid, nonseparation assay, based on fluorescence polarization was optimized for therapeutic drug monitoring. A separation fluoroimmunoassay, using antibodies covalently linked to magnetizable particles to avoid the need for centrifugation, was also optimized and validated for monitoring flecainide therapy. It is applicable to lipemic, hemolyzed or icteric samples unsuitable for the nonseparation approach and for laboratories with access only to a simple fluorimeter. Finally, the separation fluoroimmunoassay was modified slightly to improve markedly sensitivity for use in pharmacokinetic studies.