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ArticleForensic toxicology2026

The determination of the novel insomnia medication lemborexant using a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method, and its quantitation in clinical and forensic samples.

Brian Waters, Masato Masuda, Aya Matsusue, Masayuki Kashiwagi, Hikaru Hori, Kazuya Ikematsu, Shin-Ichi Kubo

Abstract readValidation Study
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In one paragraph

Article in Forensic toxicology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
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2citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Brian WatersDepartment of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, Japan. bwaters@fukuoka-u.ac.jp.ORCID 0000-0001-7947-2999
Masato MasudaDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, Japan.
Aya MatsusueDepartment of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, Japan.
Masayuki KashiwagiDepartment of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, Japan.
Hikaru HoriDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, Japan.
Kazuya IkematsuDepartment of Forensic Pathology and Sciences, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, Japan.
Shin-Ichi KuboDepartment of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, Japan.

Funding

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science 24K13564
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis study aims to detail the identification, confirmation, and quantitation of lemborexant from clinical and postmortem specimens using a validated LC-MS/MS method. Additionally, it investigates the tissue distribution of lemborexant in several postmortem cases.

methodsLemborexant was isolated from the plasma of hospital patients or the postmortem specimens of forensic autopsy cases. Extraction from 0.1 mL or 0.1 g of sample was achieved by a modified QuEChERS protocol. The analysis was performed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS). The quantitation method was validated in whole blood using internationally accepted parameters based on ANSI/ASB Standard 036. A total of 8 clinical samples and 13 forensic autopsy cases were analyzed by the validated method.

resultsIn clinical cases, lemborexant concentrations in plasma ranged from 2.7 to 225 ng/mL. Lemborexant concentrations in the blood of forensic autopsy cases ranged from below the lower limit of quantitation (2 ng/mL) to 276 ng/mL. The highest postmortem concentrations were found in liver, adipose tissue, pancreas, and kidney. The method demonstrated high recovery rates and precision, with no significant matrix effects or interferences from other drugs.

conclusionsThe validated LC-MS/MS method proved effective for detecting and quantifying lemborexant in both clinical and forensic autopsy samples. The study highlights the importance of monitoring lemborexant and other dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs) in forensic investigations to understand their pharmacokinetics and potential toxicological effects.

Indexed as

Orexin Receptor AntagonistsPyridinesPyrimidinesSleep Aids, PharmaceuticalAdultAgedChromatography, LiquidFemaleForensic ToxicologyHumansMaleMiddle AgedTandem Mass SpectrometryTissue DistributionlemborexantOrexin Receptor AntagonistsPyridinesPyrimidinesSleep Aids, PharmaceuticalDual orexin receptor antagonist (DORA)Forensic toxicologyLC–MS/MSLemborexantTissue distribution

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.