Determination of imatinib plasma levels in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia by high performance liquid chromatography–ultraviolet detection and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry: Methods’ comparison

The aims of this study were to validate and compare HPLC and LCMSMS analytical methods and their applicability for the quantitation of imatinib in human plasma.A total of 50 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in chronic phase (CP) receiving 400 mg/day imatinib were enrolled in the study. Drug levels were determined by HPLC–UV and LCMSMS. HPLC intra-day accuracy ranged from 100.51 to 103.19%. LCMSMS accuracy ranged from 89.72 to 106.29%. The correlation coefficient between both methods was r2 = 0.96. HPLC can be used for imatinib levels’ determinations in patients accurately and precisely.