They weren't on the market long, Fred. You can still get straight strings in bulk but I don't change strings often enough to make it practical.
I haven't heard that Elixir rumor but it seems like folks have been forever saying that all strings come from the same manufacturer, I don't know anything about that.
Down the page I gave Elixirs a negative review but when I tried them they had just come on the market, things may have changed since.
I did get some D'adarrio XTs for Xmas and I didn't like them as much as their standard Phos. Brnz.