A novel graphite oxide/poly(acrylic acid) grafted chitosan nanocomposite (GO/CSA) was prepared and used as biosorbent for the removal of pharmaceutical compound (dorzolamide) from biomedical synthetic wastewaters. The performance was evaluated taking into account pH, kinetics and thermodynamics of adsorption. GO/CSA presented higher adsorption capacity in comparison with the parent materials (graphite oxide and poly(acrylic acid) grafted chitosan). All adsorbents prepared were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and potentiometric titration. The surface features were also evaluated after the dorzolamide adsorption in order to derive the adsorption mechanism. It was suggested that the reactive groups of GO and CSA can interact with the amino groups of dorzolamide and mainly the abundance of carboxyl groups of GO/CSA composite was the main reason for its enhanced adsorption capacity. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.