Cadle Co. to hire debt collectors for Mass. jobs

An Ohio debt collector accused of harassing Massachusetts residents agreed to cease all collection efforts in the state and instead hire licensed agents to pursue debtors on its behalf. The Cadle Co., which has a Newton office, bid for a Massachusetts debt collector's license but was denied in June. It has now agreed with Attorney General Martha Coakley to hire independent lawyers or debt collectors licensed by the state. Mark H. Bluver, an attorney representing Cadle, described the voluntary settlement as a "workable accommodation" with Coakley's office to clarify the legal issues involved. (Bruce Mohl)

Raymond D. Thatcher, of Avon, has been targeted in one of 52 lawsuits filed by Microsoft Corp. in a global campaign against counterfeit software. Microsoft said it sued Thatcher in US District Court in Seattle, charging trademark and copyright infringement for selling pirated copies of Microsoft software over the Yahoo Internet service. The suit also names 10 unidentified "John Doe" defendants, believed by Microsoft to have supplied Thatcher with the software. Efforts to contact Thatcher yesterday were unsuccessful. (Hiawatha Bray)

New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc., a Boston company known for its athletic footwear, said it has acquired Vital Apparel Group for an undisclosed amount. In June, Huntington Station, N.Y.-based Vital signed an apparel license agreement with New Balance-owned Warrior to design and develop Warrior branded apparel, New Balance said. (Chris Reidy)

CVS Caremark Corp. was fined more than $226,000 after a Department of Labor investigation found dozens of stores changed employee timecards and violated child labor laws. The department found violations at 43 stores in Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, said an agency spokesman, John Chavez. CVS was accused of allowing 78 underage workers to do hazardous work with cardboard compactors and balers and allowing seven 15-year-olds to work longer or later than the law allows, Chavez said. Carolyn Castel, a spokeswoman for the Woonsocket, R.I.-based company, said its workers had violated company policy. She said it agreed to train managers and minors on proper working conditions. (AP)

A Massachusetts delegation led by Governor Deval L. Patrick returned from a trade mission to China with agreements to cooperate on life sciences and clean energy projects, as well as renewed hopes for nonstop air service between Boston and Beijing. Among the agreements reached, Organogenesis Inc., a Canton regenerative medicine company, said it signed a memorandum of understanding with China's National Tissue Engineering Center. Patrick says there were also less tangible benefits from last week's six-day trip: personal relationships established with Chinese business and government leaders that could lead to more cooperative ventures, and a chance to discuss China's human rights record with a Chinese foreign ministry official. (Globe staff and wire services)

Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc., the Cambridge maker of Velcade for multiple myeloma, said its drug stopped the cancer from being active in one-third of new patients. Shares rose 92 cents to $15.99. About 35 percent of those who took Velcade with immune-suppressing drugs had complete remission, compared with 5 percent on immune drugs alone, researchers said at a meeting of the American Society of Hematology. Velcade remissions lasted a median of two years. (Bloomberg)

Framingham's GTC Biotherapeutics Inc. said its drug candidate aimed at treating a rare blood-clotting disorder will get seven years of market exclusivity if approved in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration granted the drug candidate, called ATryn, "orphan drug" status. The special status is granted to drugs being developed to treat rare conditions and includes the exclusivity benefit along with application fee waivers. ATryn is nearly out of late-stage clinical development for hereditary antithrombin deficiency. (AP)