Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Dalbavancin in Plasma of Pediatric and Young Adult Patients.

BACKGROUND

Dalbavancin, an antimicrobial lipoglycopeptide, is authorized in Europe for treating acute bacterial infections of the skin and skin structures in adults and pediatric patients aged 3 months and older. However, off-label dosing regimens have been proposed for various indications beyond acute bacterial infections of the skin and skin structures. This study presents a novel bioanalytical method using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to quantify dalbavancin in low-volume plasma samples (50 μL).

METHODS

The method underwent validation in accordance with international guidelines for bioanalytical method validation and was applied to 9 clinical samples obtained from pediatric and young adult patients undergoing dalbavancin therapy. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analyses were conducted at the G. Gaslini Institute in Genoa, Italy, utilizing an Ultimate 3000 ultra high performance liquid chromatography system coupled to a TSQ Quantiva Triple Quadrupole system (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Milan, Italy). The analytical procedure involved the addition of deuterated dalbavancin as internal standard and a rapid extraction from 50 µL of human plasma, followed by chromatographic separation on a Thermo Scientific Accucore Polar Premium column. Accurate quantification of the analyte was achieved through multiple reaction monitoring detection.

RESULTS

The assay exhibited linearity within the concentration range of 0.66-400 mcg/mL in plasma, demonstrating accuracy and reproducibility in the absence of matrix effects. Stability testing was conducted on both quality controls and real samples to establish a robust protocol under real-life conditions.

CONCLUSIONS

This fast and reliable dalbavancin quantitation method could improve current pediatric clinical practice by enabling data collection for future dose recommendations in special patient populations.