Analytical methods for therapeutic drug monitoring.

The availability of new immunoassay and chromatographic methods has led to the revolution in therapeutic drug monitoring. The immunochemical and chromatographic methods both meet the analytical requirements of sensitivity, precision, and accuracy needed for most TDM applications. The technique chosen for any laboratory will depend upon numerous factors such as the availability of personnel and equipment, the time required to perform the assay, the speed with which the clinician needs the results, and the cost and medical benefit to the patient. It is reasonable to assume that the rapid development of new equipment and methodologies will continue to keep therapeutic drug monitoring one of the most interesting and fastest growing areas in clinical medicine.