The U.S. Attorney's Office is seeking to dismiss one-third of its charges against a Utah orthopedic surgeon who was accused of prescribing millions of pain pills to patients without legitimate medical needs, according to a report by the Salt Lake Tribune.
The motion to dismiss 38 counts against Dewey C. MacKay, MD, came the day before his trial was to begin in federal court. Dr. MacKay’s attorney called the motion "favorable" for his client and said it showed prosecutors had a weak case.
The 64-year-old orthopedic surgeon was indicted a year ago on 129 counts related to allegedly prescribing more than 1.9 million hydrocodone pills and nearly 1.6 million oxycodone pills from 2005-2009. Prosecutors charged that he saw 100-120 patients a day, running them through four exam rooms every three to five minutes.
Read the Salt Lake Tribune report on pill mills.
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