Two Ohio-based units of German drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim will contribute to a $7.75 million settlement with Wisconsin of claims they overcharged its Medicaid program for drugs, according to the Pharmalot blog.The settlement by Roxane Laboratories in Columbus and Ben Venue Laboratories in Bedford — neither admitting wrongdoing or violation — was part of a larger [...]

The German parent of Ben Venue and Roxane drug-making facilities in Ohio has launched a $135 million venture fund to foster innovation in the life sciences.Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH of Ingelheim, Germany, started Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund to invest in biotech and start-up companies worldwide “that provide ground-breaking therapeutic approaches and technologies to help drive innovation [...]

Four Ohio organizations will receive a total of $19 million in federal funding to train workers for jobs in the health care industry. The funding comes from last year’s federal stimulus act and will be distributed by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Ohio researchers take note: An experimental artificial pancreas soon will be tested in diabetes patients and could be commercially available in four years.

The Ohio Third Frontier program has attracted $3.2 billion in private investment since it began seven years ago, according to a recent report by the Ohio Business Roundtable. The Roundtable is one of the leading proponents of renewing Ohio Third Frontier through a May 2010 ballot initiative.

Two trends helped give Ohio a seat at the bioscience leaders table last year: Big drug companies farmed out more of their research and manufacturing work — to contract research and manufacturing organizations in the state. And a record number of biomedical companies started up or moved to the state, primarily in Northeast Ohio.