Tal International Group Inc., which leases freight containers, lost $3.8 million, or 12 cents a share, during the first quarter, compared with a profit of $11.1 million, or 33 cents a share, a year earlier. Adjusted pre-tax income was $25.9 million, an improvement over the $20.4 million reported last year. Revenues were up to $101.1 million from $79.6 million.

Just as much drink with less plastic.

That’s what customers who buy 500-milliliter bottles of Lipton Iced Tea, Tropican juice, Aquafina FlavorSplash and Aquafina Alive will get.

PepsiCo, the Purchase-based company that markets the drinks, said it has reduced the amount of plastic in the bottles by 20 percent, enough to prevent 20 million pounds of waste from hitting the environment. The lighter bottles will be on store shelves this month, the company said.

The company said it is also reducing the size of the labels by 10 percent and the size of the shrink wrap that’s used to wrap multi-packs by 5 percent.

For consumers who pay for prescription drugs out their own pockets, a new price study by Yonkers-based Consumer Reports finds it pays to shop around.

The consumer publication’s research showed that not only that prices vary from store to store for the same, but the differences can be dramatic — even within the same chain, depending on location.

Consumer Reports placed calls to 163 pharmacies nationwide to gauge price differences among four prescription drugs, three name brand medicines and one generic. For a three-month supply of pills for the urinary incontinence drug Detrol, for example, the price ranged from $365 to $551.

The magazine also found significant price disparities for the two other name-brand drugs it studied: for Plavix (which prevents blood clots), the spread was $382-$541, and for Levoxyl (for treating hypothyroidism), prices ran from $29 to $85. And for the generic alendronate (for osteoporosis), the price range was $124 to $306.

The magazine’s small scale market-basket study showed Costco was the cheapest for the four drugs CR sought quotes for, followed by AARP.com and Wal-Mart. Walgreens and Rite-Aid were among the priciest for the four drugs.

Besides calling different stores and comparison shopping, other cost-saving tips include:

• Don’t rule out independents: Though they’re not the cheapest overall, many mom-and-pop pharmacies are highly competitive and offer top notch service.

• Talk to your employer: Benefits administrators can provide details about pharmacy benefit managers, also known as PBMs.

• Buy generics: They can cost 20 to 50 percent less than their brand name equivalents.

• See if there’s a discount program: Some stores have programs for those 50 and older; other programs are open to anyone without insurance.

The full report is available for free now at www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org, or in the June issue of Consumer Reports magazine available on newsstands tomorrow.

AT&T Inc. has expanded its broadband wireless network in Westchester County. The expansion of the third-generation network means users in the county will have better access to the Internet, e-mail and entertainment services.
With the addition of new technology to 65 cell towers, the network is now available in Yonkers, Mamaroneck, Rye, Mount Vernon, Eastchester, Bronxville, Pelham, Harrison, Larchmont, Scarsdale, New Rochelle, Dobbs Ferry and Hartsdale.. The network has also been enhanced along the Sprain Brook, Saw Mill River and Hutchinson parkways, as well as routes 9 and 9A, the company said.

Acorda Therapeutics Inc., the pharmaceutical company in Hawthorne, reported this morning that it lost $16.43 million, or 54 cents a share, during the first quarter, compared with a loss of $7.5 million, or 32 cents, a year earlier.

Net sales of the company’s product, Zanaflex, grew to $11.49 million from $8.31 million.

Zanaflex is a treatment for involuntary muscle movements caused by multiple sclerosis and spinal injuries. The company is also seeking to develop Fampridine-SR, which would also be for people with multiple sclerosis.

Research and development expenses rose to $9.59 million from $3.24 million. Sales and marketing expenses rose to $10.2 million from $6.97 million.

Acorda shares were trading at $21.79 this morning, up 3 cents.

A decline in the production of recreational vehicles helped drive down first-quarter sales and profits at White Plains-based Drew Industries Inc.

The company earned $9.1 million, or 41 cents a share, during the quarter that ended in March, a 5 percent drop from the profit of $9.59 million, or 44 cents a share, during the first quarter of last year.

Sales dropped 8 percent to $159.15 million.

The company said that industry-wide wholesale shipments of travel trailers and fifth-wheel RVs were down 8 percent. Industry production of manufactured homes dropped 3 percent.

The company supplies parts for RVs and manufactured homes.

Leigh J. Abrams, the company’s president and chief executive, said steps the company took last year to cut costs helped in the just-completed quarter. But he said the company continues to face “profit pressure” as raw material costs have increased sharply this year.

“Assuming the cost of raw materials remains at these high levels, these cost increases will have an annualized effect on our cost of sales of $60 million to $70 million,” he said. “However, we are currently implementing price increases with customers to help offset these price increases.”

The company’s shares were trading at $23.53 at 9:50 a.m., up 78 cents.

Three Yonkers businesses are facing $43,000 in fines for not carrying workers compensation insurance. The New York State Workers’ Compensation Board said yesterday that Yonkers Auto Mall, Inc. at 1716 Central Park Ave., Yonkers Service Station at 1230 Nepperhan Ave. and Golden Yonkers Properties, Inc. at 365 S. Broadway violated state law by not carrying workers’ compensation insurance. Workers’ Compensation Board spokesman Brian M. Keegan said that his agency is working with Yonkers Auto Mall and it may rescind its $33,000 judgment. The board is also in discussion with Golden Yonkers Properties over its $6,000 judgment, as the company now has coverage. The board has not received a response from Yonkers Service Station, whose $4,000 judgment was filed March 31 in the state Supreme Court in White Plains.

Bedford resident Daniel C. Petri has announced his plans to retire from Verizon Communications Inc., where he serves as group president — International. Petri, who has been with the giant Manhattan-based phone company for 37 years, will retire Aug. 1, the company said. Since 2002, Petri has been responsible for Verizon’s businesses outside the United States, including telephone operations in more than 20 countries on five continents.

Two businesses in the Lower Hudson Valley have placed the low bids on construction work at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, the state Office of General Services said. Southeast Plumbing Corp. of Brewster was the apparent low bidder, out of seven companies, with a bid of $262,000 to replace a domestic water system in Building No. 6. S & O Construction Services Inc. of Pleasant Valley was the apparent low bidder, out of four companies, with a bid of $410,830 for a heating and ventilation contract to rehabilitate a condensate return system.

SmartWatt Energy Services, a Clifton Park, N.Y.-based company that helps businesses reduce their energy consumption and expenses, has opened its third office on Mamaroneck Avenue in Harrison. Pete DeMartis of Somers is the general manager. The company has a third office in Rochester, N.Y. For more information on the company, visit www.smartwattinc.com.

White Plains-based ConEdison Solutions has acquired Custom Energy Services LLC of Overland Park, Kan. Financial terms were not disclosed. The deal is part of a ongoing corporate expansion strategy as ConEdison Solutions seeks to become a nationwide leader in energy services and energy commodity marketplaces. Custom Energy Services will give the firm a Kansas office to help reach customers in the Midwest. The company also has offices in Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina and Texas.

BioScrip Inc. of Elmsford, a specialty pharmaceutical health care business, lost $500,000, or a penny a share, during the first quarter, compared with a loss of $1.3 million, or 4 cents a share, during the first three months of last year. The company said Friday its operating profit was $185,000, an improvement over the $136,000 from last year. Revenues rose to $327.5 million from $296.2 million.

IntegraMed America Inc., a Purchase-based company that runs fertility centers and vein clinics, earned $655,000, or 8 cents a share, during the first three months of this year, an improvement over the $615,000, or 7 cents a share, in profit during the first quarter of 2007. The gain came despite a $495,000 negative swing related to higher debt levels from an acquisition. The company said the results also include an increase in its tax rate, which was 41 percent, up from 33 percent. The company’s shares were trading at $9.80, down 3 cents, shortly after markets opened this morning.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Eastview lost $11.6 million, or 15 cents a share, during the first quarter, compared with a loss of $29.9 million, or 46 cents a share, a year earlier, the company reported this morning.

Revenues rose to $56.4 million from $15.8 million.

The company got approval to market its first product, Arcalyst, in February, and has several product candidates under development.

Regeneron shares were trading at $19.57, down 5 cents, this morning. The shares have dropped 29 percent the past year.

PepsiCo Inc., the Purchase-based beverage giant, announced that it has purchased V Water, a vitamin water brand in the United Kingdom. V Water, launched in 2005, is sold in six flavors and includes several added vitamins, minerals and herbal extracts. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

“V Water provides us with a strong platform for expansion into a fast growing market, and reflects PepsiCo’s global commitment to transforming our portfolio of products and extending our range of healthier beverages,” Garrett Quigley, general manager, PepsiCo UK and Ireland, said in a written statement.

PepsiCo also announced that it has reached an exclusive bottling agreement with Britvic plc to manufacture, sell and distribute the V Water products in Great Britain.

MVC Capital Inc., a Purchase-based company that makes private debt and equity investments, has gotten a $50 million, two-year revolving line of credit from Branch Banking and Trust Co. The line is in addition to MVC’s existing $100 million credit agreement with Guggenheim Corporate Funding LLC.

MVC said the $50 million line will be used to gain better financial flexibility in managing its investment portfolio.

IBM Corp.’s success selling computers, software and services to businesses despite the slowing economy will likely be the centerpiece message tomorrow as the computer giant’s leadership faces investors in Charlotte, N.C.

In one of his rare public appearances, IBM’s chairman, president and chief executive, Samuel J. Palmisano, will give his yearly update on the health of the company he joined as a salesman in 1973.

He has plenty of good news to deliver. In 2007, IBM’s revenue rose 8.1 percent to $98.78 billion. Net income rose 9.7 percent to $10.42 billion. Earnings per share were up 17.5 percent to $7.18.

The strong results continued this year when IBM’s first-quarter profit rose 26 percent to $2.32 billion and revenue was up 11.2 percent to $24.5 billion.

“We feel good about the rest of the year,” Palmisano said earlier this month.

IBM, the largest private employer in Westchester County, provides about 7,500 local jobs.

As the world’s largest technology company, IBM is considered a bellwether not only for the computer business but for the U.S. economy in general.

Palmisano has frequently discussed IBM’s success transforming Big Blue into a globally integrated business with employees around the world cooperating to grow sales.

In a spring report to analysts, Palmisano noted that 65 percent of IBM’s workers are employed outside the United States with about 30 percent of those workers in Asia. The work force in Brazil, Russia, India and China has doubled the last two years.

The growth of work in other countries has drawn criticism from activist groups that rally for U.S. workers, including members of the Alliance@IBM, a branch of the Communications Workers of America Local 1701 that has been seeking to unionize IBMers for several years.

The group plans an informational picket for 8:30 a.m. today and will hold a rally at the close of the meeting.

In addition to offshoring, the Alliance@IBM will focus its protest on executive compensation and the lack of a cost-of-living increase for retirees, among other issues.

For more information about the annual meeting and to read IBM’s annual report and proxy filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, visit www.ibm.com/investor.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. said that a new Four Points by Sheraton has opened in Tempe, Ariz. Four Points by Sheraton is one of the White Plains hotel giant’s brands, which also include St. Regis, Westin, W and Le Meridien. The new hotel, which is owned and operated by Twenty4Seven Hotels Corp. has 187 rooms and is walking distance from Arizona State University’s main campus.

IntegraMed America Inc. of Purchase said this morning it has a 25-year agreement to provide its fertility services to Southeastern Fertility Center in Mount Pleasant, S.C. near Charleston.

Under the contract, IntegraMed has purchased the assets of Southeastern Fertility and promised to commit other resources to grow the business. IntegraMed, which runs fertility centers and vein clinics in the United States, will receive fees based on the business at the South Carolina center.

The deal was effective last Thursday.

Montebello-based Provident New York Bancorp, the parent company of Provident Bank, said it earned $5.1 million, or 13 cents a share, during the second quarter of its fiscal 2008, up from $4.4 million, or 11 cents a share, a year earlier. The company said its net interest margin was 3.89 percent, up from 3.5 percent. Efforts to control expenses resulted in an increase of non-interest expense of less than 2 percent.