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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration closed its investigation of 2.7 million General Ameri.550 tires manufactured by Continental Tire because it could not find a safety defect. Ford Motor Co. had used the tires as replacements for Firestone tires.

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FedEx Corp. pilots voted to abandon their independent union and rejoin the larger Air Line Pilots Assn. to improve their bargaining position with the largest overnight-delivery company.

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Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., the world’s fifth-biggest drug maker, said inventories of its drugs at U.S. wholesalers “significantly exceed” what the company considers desirable and will hurt profit.

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Interpublic Group of Cos., the world’s largest advertising agency, will eliminate 1,600 jobs, or 3% of its work force, by mid-year to reduce costs, the company said in a regulatory filing. The job cuts are part of a restructuring that led to 5,200 firings in 2001.

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* Coca-Cola Co. may introduce a vanilla-flavored version of its Coca-Cola Classic in a few months as the soft-drink maker tries to jump-start demand for the brand in North America, Beverage Digest reported.