U.S. says big drug distributor to pay $22 million in penalties over opioids

(Reuters) - Morris & Dickson Co, the largest privately owned U.S. wholesale drug distributor, agreed to pay $22 million in civil penalties to resolve claims it failed to report suspicious orders of the opioids hydrocodone and oxycodone, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Friday.

The Louisiana-based company will also spend millions of dollars to hire staff and upgrade oversight to ensure compliance with federal requirements that it report suspicious orders of controlled substances, the Justice Department said.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in Chicago; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

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