Update: Doctor who provided ketamine to Matthew Perry agrees to plead guilty
Key Takeaways
Industry Buzz
"Any doctor that does something bad... for example taking advantage of a drug addicted patient... goes straight to jail. [B]eing a doctor is an honor and comes with much responsibility. There is never any room for anyone who is unethical. Ethics is the name of the game. We do the best that we can to help others without causing harm." — Michael Galvez, MD
"Ketamine is a legitimate treatment for pain [and] depression. However, it is very powerful and needs to be given in a closely monitored setting. That doesn’t seem to be the case for Matthew Perry’s situation." — Goldie Winge, MD
Following Matthew Perry’s death in October 2023, an autopsy report revealed the acute effects of ketamine as the primary cause of death of the “Friends” star, with contributing factors including drowning and coronary artery disease.
A criminal investigation was launched given the appearance of ketamine in his system, which led to five people—including two doctors—being charged in connection with Perry’s death, in August 2024.[][][]
On June 16, 2025, CNN reported that Salvador Plasencia, MD, one of the doctors charged with giving Perry ketamine in the month leading up to his death, has agreed to plead guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine.[]
Investigations revealed that Dr. Plasencia had illegally supplied Perry with ketamine, often without proper documentation or medical justification.
Guilty plea
According to federal prosecutors, Dr. Plasencia is expected to formally plead guilty in the next few weeks. His plea carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.[]
Doctors are sharing their thoughts about the news on social media, highlighting the doctor's unethical actions and sparking a larger conversation about the standards of integrity in medicine.
"Any doctor that does something bad... for example taking advantage of a drug addicted patient... goes straight to jail and does not pass go. I don’t care where are you trained, your ethnicity, gender, prestige, etc... being a doctor is an honor and comes with much responsibility. There is never any room for anyone who is unethical. Ethics is the name of the game. We do the best that we can to help others without causing harm," wrote board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon Michael Galvez, MD, in an Instagram post.
Other doctors chimed in to set the record straight—this is a clear violation of medical ethics.
"For people asking how is it unethical: [K]etamine is a legitimate treatment for pain abs depression. However, it is very powerful and needs to be given in a closely monitored setting. That doesn’t seem to be the case for Matthew Perry’s situation," wrote Goldie Winge, MD, in the comments.
Five arrests
The two lead defendants in the case are Jasveen Sangha, who is accused of selling Perry the ketamine that led to his death, as well as Dr. Plasencia, a licensed medical doctor accused of distributing around 20 vials of ketamine to Perry.[] Three additional defendants were separately charged, including:
Erik Fleming, who admitted to distributing upwards of 50 vials of ketamine to Perry and has pled guilty;
Dr. Mark Chavez, who worked to obtain ketamine and has agreed to plead guilty; and
Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s live-in assistant, who received the deliveries of ketamine for Perry and has pled guilty.
US Attorney Martin Estrada said those charged had collectively been working to supply Perry with ketamine at exorbitant prices while “risking great danger to Mr. Perry” and other buyers.[]
What we know about Matthew Perry's death
Ketamine can be used safely in some anesthesia and mental health treatments, but uncontrolled use or overuse can be dangerous. For medical anesthesia or mental health purposes, ketamine tends to be given as an infusion.
Perry received a monitored ketamine infusion about a week before his death. Given the time between the treatment and the incident, however, doctors say that the infusion does not explain the ketamine levels revealed by the autopsy.
Walavan Sivakumar, MD, a board-certified neurosurgeon and Director of Neurovascular Surgery at Pacific Neuroscience Institute-South Bay in Torrance, CA, explains that ketamine has a half-life of approximately 4 hours.
With this in mind, “Matthew Perry's death is unlikely to be related to his monitored ketamine infusion approximately one week prior,” Dr. Sivakumar says.
He adds that “overdoses and ketamine-related deaths are typically seen in the recreation[al] setting.” In recreational settings, ketamine can be taken in powder or liquid form and can be mixed with other drugs that may also increase its risk profile, Dr. Sivakumar says.
Related: Concerns rise about Elon Musk’s daily ketamine use—especially given his power in the US government