DEA moves to revoke major drug distributor's license over opioid crisis failures

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says it will strip one of the nation's largest drug distributors of its license to sell and ship highly addictive painkillers within 90 days if some kind of negotiated settlement isn't reached.

In a statement, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said executives at Morris & Dickson failed to accept responsibility for the "full extent of their wrongdoing ... and the potential harm it caused."

If finalized, this action taken Friday would hobble the nation's fourth-largest drug wholesaler. It comes after a controversial four-year delay.

In a statement sent to NPR, the Louisiana-based company said it remains in talks with the DEA as part of a last-ditch attempt to avert the revocation of its opioid license.