EMC CEO reaffirms vow not to sell stake in VMware

EMC Corp. will keep its 86 percent stake in software maker VMware Inc., chief executive Joseph Tucci said, quashing speculation that the company will unload more of its shares. "Honestly, from the board, there is no interest in spinning off VMware," Tucci said, reiterating a pledge made last month. Hopkinton-based EMC posted its biggest weekly gain in three years last week in New York trading on predictions the company would spin off the remainder of the business. (Bloomberg)

Attorney General Martha Coakley gave her stamp of approval to recent governance changes at Caritas Christi Health Care System, the six-hospital chain owned by the Archdiocese of Boston. The archdiocese recently made the board independent of church leadership, except in matters of medical ethics and sales of assets. In a recent report issued by Coakley on Caritas Christi, the church's control over board decisions was identified as a problem. In a statement, chairman James Karam said Caritas Christi is seeking to recruit "additional high level, skilled board members anxious to support the mission of Catholic healthcare. (Jeffrey Krasner)

Kayem Foods Inc., a Chelsea meat processor, said it has agreed to acquire several meat brands from Tyson Foods Inc. for an undisclosed amount. The brands include Jordan's, Deutschmacher, Kirschner, Essem, and Tasty Bite. In 2007, they collectively had sales of nearly $20 million, a Kayem spokesman said. Kayem produces more than 120 varieties of hot dogs and 320 varieties of deli meats, sausage, and dinner hams under a variety of brand names. (Chris Reidy)

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. and partner GlaxoSmithKline PLC said midstage clinical data showed the addition of their drug, elesclomol, significantly improved progression-free survival in advanced melanoma patients being treated for the first time with chemotherapy. Data on stage IV patients being treated with both chemotherapy and elesclomol was compared with that of patients only receiving chemotherapy. First-time chemo patients who also took elesclomol had 69 percent less risk of death or their cancer progressing than patients taking chemo alone. The combination therapy patients lived an average of almost six months longer than their counterparts and lived an average of 7.1 months without their disease progressing, versus 1.8 months. (AP)

Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said a total ban is planned on the slaughter at meat plants of cows too sick or weak to stand. The change comes in the wake of the nation's largest beef recall. It would shut down an exception allowing so-called "downer" cattle into the food supply if they pass veterinary inspection. Downer cows pose increased risk for mad cow disease, E. coli, and other infections, partly because they typically wallow in feces. They are already mostly banned from slaughter, but under current rules can be allowed in if they fall down after passing a veterinary inspection, and then pass a second inspection. (AP)

The Senate approved a bill that may curtail lawsuits seeking billions of dollars from US retailers over alleged credit-card information disclosure violations. The legislation, introduced by Senator Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, is a revision of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act, which prohibited retailers from showing credit-card expiration dates or more than five digits of account numbers on printed receipts. Retailers who redacted the credit-card number on receipts while failing to remove the expiration date wouldn't be liable for a "willful" violation under the proposed amendment. The revision preserves consumers' existing right to sue for negligence if they experience actual harm or fraud as a result of disclosure. (Bloomberg)

Hologic Inc., a Bedford maker of medical equipment specializing in women's health, said chairman Patrick Sullivan resigned, effective immediately. Chief executive Jack W. Cumming will expand his role and replace Sullivan . . . Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. named Wall Street Journal publisher Robert Thomson as the newspaper's managing editor, succeeding Marcus Brauchli. Thomson's appointment was approved by a special committee created to oversee the Journal's editorial integrity, News Corp. said. Dow Jones Chief Executive Leslie Hinton will add Thomson's role as publisher to his existing duties. (Wire services)