Content about Massachusetts

LISLE, Ill. — Pharmacy benefit manager SXC Health Solutions will acquire “substantially all” assets of Worcester, Mass.-based PBM MedMetrics Health Partners, SXC said Tuesday.

The companies expect the acquisition to be completed in second quarter 2011. Financial terms were not disclosed. MedMetrics manages about $200 million in annual drug spend.

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. — Ken's Foods has increased the size of its salad dressing bottles.

The company said its new 9-oz. salad dressing bottle replaces its existing 8-oz. bottle, giving the consumer 12.5% more dressing for their money, Ken's Foods said. What's more, 26 varieties of Ken's salad dressings will be "dressed up" in the updated bottles.

"We held focus groups with our end users," said Bob Merchant, Ken's Foods COO. "They made it clear that they prefer plastic bottles over glass, and Ken's listens to consumers."

QUINCY, Mass. — Stop & Shop has gone mobile.

The retailer on Monday announced that it has developed a mobile application, designed for iPhone and Android devices, which syncs with customer loyalty cards, providing access to online accounts. Customers can access store circulars to check out everyday savings on the go and also get directions to the nearest Stop & Shop.

Stop & Shop customers are invited to download the mobile app for free at the App Store or Android Market.

WATERTOWN, Mass. — Exergen said a new patent granted to the company protects its temporal artery thermometers brand.

Exergen said its portfolio of intellectual property rights has expanded with the new patent for its TemporalScanner brand of noninvasive thermometry products. Recently, Exergen said it filed a patent infringement suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts against Kidz-Med, American Scientific Resources and Tecnimed SRL.

LAKEVILLE-MIDDLEBORO, Mass. — Ocean Spray has introduced two drinks that blend its classic cranberry juice with other berry flavors.

New to the Ocean Spray lineup are Ocean Spray 100% juice cranberry, pomegranate, cherry and 100% juice cranberry, blueberry, blackberry. One glass provides 100% of the daily requirement of vitamin C and two servings of fruit, Ocean Spray said.

MASHPEE, Mass. — Amid reports of a nationwide bed bug outbreak, a new pesticide-free solution has hit the market.

Stop Bugging Me!, a natural bed bug treatment designed for at-home and commercial use, can be sprayed directly onto any detergent-safe upholstery, including bedding, linens and clothing, killing bed bugs and their eggs. Stop Bugging Me! includes such natural, active ingredients as 2-phenethyl propionate (a natural insecticide), eugenol, sodium lauryl sulfate, geraniol and cinnamon oil with aromatic bark.

The NACDS Marketplace offers the industry leaders from drug, food, mass and specialty retail an unparalleled opportunity to do business. The key retail decision-makers from more than 230 retail companies, representing over 145,000 retail outlets and over $500 billion in annual buying power, come together with the leading and emerging CPG companies that represent more than 90 percent of the industry.

LAKEVILLE-MIDDLEBORO, Mass. — Ocean Spray is getting bubbly.

The juice brand said its new sparkling juice drinks will be available in two original and diet flavors, cranberry and pomegranate blueberry, and are made with 70% real fruit juice and no added sugar, artificial colors or preservatives. A serving of Ocean Spray sparkling juice is 90 calories, while Ocean Spray diet sparkling is 10 calories per serving.

QUINCY, Mass. — Stop & Shop is taking supermarket energy efficiency to a new level at a store in New England.

The supermarket chain, owned by Netherlands-based Royal Ahold, announced the installation of a 400-kilowatt fuel cell at its store in East Torrington, Conn.

The fuel cell, a UTC Power PureCell System Model 400, is expected to generate more than 90% of the store’s electrical energy.

NEW YORK — The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus on Wednesday announced that Pharmavite is able to support advertising claims for the company’s NatureMade GreatMind dietary supplement, pursuant to NAD’s ongoing monitoring of advertising for dietary supplements.

NAD, the advertising industry’s self-regulatory forum, reviewed claims that appeared in print and Internet advertising and on product packaging, pursuant to NAD’s ongoing monitoring of advertising for dietary supplements.

WALTHAM, Mass. — A specialty pharmacy focused on infertility is sponsoring a giveaway campaign to attract patients to its Web-based forum.

Village Fertility Pharmacy announced Thursday that users of its Village Voices site, an online forum and repository for infertility patients to post stories and share experiences launched in late 2010, will be eligible to win weekly giveaways through the month of February. Any user who submits a story or comments on a story will be entered to win a $30 gift card for use at the pharmacy.

BURLINGTON, Mass. — Eli Lilly’s and Amylin Pharmaceuticals’ Type 2 diabetes drug, Bydureon, appears to work better at promoting weight loss than drugs made by Takeda and Merck, but it could face a challenger of its own.