Doctor pleads guilty to prescribing a dangerous combination of drugs
A Denver doctor pleaded guilty Wednesday to illegally dispensing a dangerous combination of controlled substances known as the “Holy Trinity.”
Dr. Andrew Mark Ho, 54, who practices internal medicine in south Denver, agreed to 15 years of supervised release and relinquished his ability to prescribe controlled substances, the U. S. Attorney’s Office in Denver said in a news release. Ho will be sentenced in January.
Between 2014 and 2016, Ho prescribed a combination of controlled substances “outside the scope of accepted medical practices,” prosecutors said. The “Holy Trinity,” which is in high demand on the street, includes muscle relaxers and opioids. The combination is dangerous because it depresses the central nervous system and affects a person’s ability to breathe, the U. S. Attorney’s Office said.
“Overprescribing controlled substances, especially prescribing the “Holy Trinity” of prescription drugs is dangerous, and there is no acceptable medical reason to do so,” U. S. Attorney Jason Dunn said in the news release. “In this case, it’s simply flat- out drug dealing and is being treated accordingly.”
Efforts to reach Ho and his attorney were unsuccessful.
Ho’s medical license is active but with restrictions, the Colorado Department of Regulatory Affairs database shows. The plea agreement states he is able to practice under conditions of oversight.
The case represents the state and federal government’s latest efforts in tackling the opioid epidemic, particularly targeting dangerous prescribing practices.
A Denver doctor in September settled a lawsuit alleging that he caused a mother’s accidental opioid overdose by prescribing too many pain medicines.
Colorado and a host of local municipalities have sued Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, and its owners over the company’s role in causing the opioid crisis. Attorney General Phil Weiser said last month a proposed settlement doesn’t go far enough in addressing the damage the drugs have done in Colorado.