Health News Brief: From Bluetongue in Norway to US IPOs

An overview of recent health news including an outbreak of bluetongue disease in Norway, Zenas BioPharma's US IPO, new scientific advancements, a case of bird flu in Missouri, and more. This summary also highlights the US response to a new mpox strain, Bicara Therapeutics' IPO, and GSK's asthma drug success.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Norway reports outbreak of bluetongue disease in sheep, WOAH says

Norway has reported an outbreak of bluetongue disease on a sheep farm in the southern part of the country, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) revealed on Friday. Bluetongue, which can be fatal for domestic ruminants like sheep, cattle, and goats, has been circulating in northern Europe since late last year, prompting vaccination campaigns in countries such as France.

Bristol-Myers Squibb-backed Zenas BioPharma seeks up to $689.7 million valuation in US IPO

Zenas BioPharma, a company focused on developing immunology-based therapies, announced on Friday plans to achieve a valuation of up to $689.7 million with its initial public offering in the United States. Backed by Bristol-Myers Squibb, Zenas aims to raise approximately $211.7 million by offering 11.76 million shares priced between $16 and $18 each.

(With inputs from agencies.)