By Robert Herpen / Healio
In a cohort of Black and Hispanic individuals with relapsing MS, baseline comorbidities had no significant effect on the safety and efficacy of treatment with Ocrevus, according to data presented at ECTRIMS 2025.
“The CHIMES study was designed to address the underrepresentation of Black and Hispanic patients in MS clinical research,” Anthony T. Reder, MD, professor of neurology at the University of Chicago Medical Center, told Healio about the research presented at ECTRIMS 2025. “This study is especially important because Blacks with MS tend to have more B-cell activation than whites, and Blacks and Hispanics on average have more medical problems.”
In a phase 4 clinical trial, Reder and colleagues investigated associations between cardiologic and endocrinologic comorbidities and treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab, Genentech) among individuals with MS from underrepresented populations.
The CHIMES study, a prospective, open-label, single-arm undertaking, included 182 participants (Black individuals, n = 113; Hispanic individuals, n = 69) who received ocrelizumab for 96 weeks.
“CHIMES tested a very effective therapy in MS that depletes most B cells,” Reder said.
Baseline comorbidities for the patient population included diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and obesity.
The primary efficacy outcomes were change in the No Evidence of Disease Activity-3 (NEDA-3) from baseline to 96 weeks; confirmed disease progression (CDP) at 24 weeks; and evidence of disease activity as measured by MRI including T1 gadolinium lesions. Safety outcomes included adverse events, including infections, infusion-related reactions (IRRs), and early treatment discontinuation.