Business briefs

SACRAMENTO — An insect-borne virus that has killed tomato plants across Central America, Florida and Georgia has been detected in California for the first time.

The virus, known as tomato yellow leaf curl, devastated crops in the Dominican Republican and in Mexico, forcing those countries to curtail the growing season to contain the spread of the disease.

Tomatoes are California’s eighth largest crop. The state supplies the vast majority of the nation’s processed tomatoes — 95 percent, according to the California Tomato Growers Association.

"Where this virus is present, it will absolutely kill the tomatoes,” said Ross Siragusa, president of the association, which represents farmers who supply the state’s $2 billion a year processed tomato industry. "It’s a very difficult disease to fight.”

Amgen gets subpoena from N.Y. attorney general over promotions

THOUSAND OAKS — Troubled pharmaceutical maker Amgen Inc. said Tuesday it received a subpoena from the New York attorney general seeking documents related to its promotional and other activities.

The subpoena also sought documents on the company’s sales and marketing activities, medical education, clinical studies, pricing and contracting, license and distribution agreements and corporate communications.

Amgen received the subpoena May 10, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. "Amgen intends to fully cooperate in responding to the subpoena,” the company said in the filing.

The Thousand Oaks-based company also said it was served May 14 with a shareholder demand on the board of directors seeking a special litigation committee, the filing said. This committee would investigate potential breaches in fiduciary duties by current and/or former officers and directors of the company, according to the filing.

In addition, a class-action shareholder litigation lawsuit was filed against Amgen and individual defendants in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on May 11, the filing said.

Intel, STMicro to partner on flash memory

SAN FRANCISCO — Intel Corp. and STMicroelectronics NV are unloading troubled divisions that make a type of flash memory used primarily in cell phones.

The chip makers and private equity firm Francisco Partners will form a new company that will buy up the assets of Intel’s and STMicro’s NOR flash businesses.

It promises to placate skittish investors concerned about the fading fortunes of NOR flash memory. Overall revenues for the chips were $8.3 billion last year, but the entire segment was unable to turn a profit, according to market researcher iSuppli Corp.

The deal signals the waning importance of NOR flash. Invented by Intel in the late 1980s, it has been steadily losing ground to NAND flash memory — a cheaper alternative that’s used in digital cameras and music players.

Until now, Intel, the world’s largest semiconductor company, has stood by its unprofitable business. The division was losing about $150 million a year before Intel formed a joint venture in 2005 with Micron Technology Inc. to produce NAND flash.

The red ink continued last year, with Intel losing about $555 million from the combined businesses due primarily to startup costs for the NAND business. Intel no longer breaks out revenue for NOR flash.

In Tuesday’s deal, Intel will get $432 million in cash for its NOR flash unit. STMicroelectronics will sell its entire flash memory operation, including the NOR division and its stake in a joint venture with Hynix Semiconductor Inc. that makes NAND flash chips, for $468 million.

No name has been chosen for the new company, which will combine businesses that generated some $3.6 billion in sales last year.