Most commercial payers run one PA template for both IBAT inhibitors — genetic/clinical diagnosis, cholestasis evidence, baseline pruritus, ≥2 prior-therapy failures. What the symmetric template flattens into parity: Bylvay's lower list price, its pellet formulation for the smallest infants, and its category-creator breadth — the basis for a preferred-tier case. (The BSEP-3 severe-BSEP limitation applies to both IBATs, so genetic subtyping is a shared eligibility gate, not a wedge.) The other lever: defend against Cigna/ESI's response-based renewal.
| Payer / PBM | Bylvay policy | Livmarli policy | Status | V&A lever |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UnitedHealthcare PBM: OptumRx · ~27M commercial lives⁹ |
PA · specialist + diagnosis + cholestasis + ≥2 prior failures · 12-mo auth¹ | PA · same criteria · removed PFIC ItchRO gate Sept 2025 · ALGS needs JAG1/NOTCH2 | Symmetric | Largest commercial. Make the preferred-tier case on lower price + pellet formulation + PEDFIC breadth. Optum Specialty in Bylvay network. |
| Cigna · Express Scripts PBM: ESI · ~17M commercial lives⁹ |
PA · ItchRO ≥2 baseline · bile acid >3× ULN · ≥2 systemic failures · 6-mo initial² | Same combined IBAT guideline · renewal needs maintained ≥1-pt ItchRO drop + falling bile acids | Renewal risk | Most stringent. Response-based renewal is the #1 sustained-access risk — Marigolds AI tracks the ItchRO renewal clock per patient. |
| Aetna · CVS Health PBM: CVS Caremark · ~19M commercial lives⁹ |
Policy 05.04.42 · genetic testing results required upfront · initial 6 mo, continuation 12 mo³ | Mirror policy · cannot combine with Bylvay | Genetic gate | Genetic-confirmation gate favors whoever speeds testing — push Ipsen-sponsored 110-gene panel at referral. CVS Specialty in network. |
| Anthem · Elevance PBM: CarelonRx · ~32M commercial lives⁹ |
No standalone public IBAT policy surfaced. Open window before template hardens. | No standalone public IBAT policy surfaced. | Window open | Pre-emptive criteria brief positioning Bylvay on price + formulation breadth — shape the template before it's written. |
| BCBS · FEP FEP, Wellmark, affiliates · ~70M BCBS lives⁹ |
FEP Bylvay 5.50.031 · Wellmark Bylvay policy · specialist + genetic/clinical dx⁴ | FEP Livmarli 5.50.032 · symmetric affiliate templates | Symmetric | PolicyReporter daily monitoring · FEP sets a federal-benchmark template affiliates copy · genetic differentiation brief |
Because PFIC and ALGS present in infancy and childhood, the majority of patients sit in Medicaid/CHIP — often via disability/medically-needy pathways. No state has placed either IBAT on preferred status yet, so the frame is first-mover, not catch-up. What Marigolds AI delivers here is honest and public: it pulls every state's P&T meeting calendar, agenda, DUR Board membership, and historical voting on analog rare-disease drugs from public Medicaid sites, and drafts submission briefs in each state's format. The supplemental-rebate decision and model stay with Ipsen's internal net-price strategy — that's not public, and we don't claim it. Pediatric payer-mix split is modeled (not publicly published).
| State Medicaid | Bylvay PA / PDL | Livmarli PA / PDL | Status | V&A lever |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah IBAT PA form · exemplar |
PA · genetic confirm · weight/formulation rules · PFIC: 3 failed first-line therapies (≥4 wks each) · 6-mo initial⁵ | Same IBAT PA · ALGS JAG1/NOTCH2 in chart · formulation-by-indication rules | Strictest PA | Tougher than commercial. Pre-built documentation packet for the 3-failure requirement cuts denials and re-work. |
| California Medi-Cal · ~14M lives |
PA · pediatric GI/hepatology · diagnosis + cholestasis · single statewide Medi-Cal Rx | PA · same DUR pathway | PDL pending | Largest Medicaid + multiple COE centers (UCSF, CHLA, Stanford). DHCS P&T pre-submission with budget impact. |
| Texas ~5.4M lives · Texas Children's COE |
PA · vendor drug PDL · standard IBAT criteria · DURB review cycle | PA · same vendor drug template | Both non-preferred | Texas Children's drives volume — KOL + supplemental rebate negotiation for preferred status at next DURB |
| Ohio SPBM (Gainwell) · Cincinnati COE |
PA · single PBM template · standard IBAT criteria · UDCA/prior-therapy step | PA · same SPBM template | Symmetric PA | Single-PBM state — one negotiation + Cincinnati Children's COE alignment gates the whole state |
| Pennsylvania CHOP COE · Highmark-aligned |
PA · standard 2-failure IBAT criteria · PDL pending P&T | PA · same · review pending | PDL pending | CHOP is a national PFIC/ALGS referral hub — medical + V&A alignment here has outsized reach |
| Florida ~5.1M lives |
PA · standard IBAT criteria · PDL not finalized | PA · same standard criteria | PDL pending | FL P&T cycle + managed-care plan variation — track per-MCO PA drift |
With near-parity price and symmetric PA, the competition runs on navigation: how fast the hub gets a child approved and dispensed. Mirum has made its MAP program a marketing weapon. This is the axis Ipsen V&A flagged — "they navigate PA as well or better than us."
| Service axis | Bylvay · Ipsen | Livmarli · Mirum | Status | V&A lever |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hub program | Ipsen Cares · Patient Access Manager (PAM) · copay support · PAP · patient educator (PEL)⁶ | Mirum Access Plus (MAP) · Navigator + Coordinator + MAP Mobile texting | Mirum ahead | Match MAP's outcomes transparency — instrument Ipsen Cares with a measured approval-rate + time-to-fill dashboard |
| Approval outcomes | Not publicly marketed as a stat | Markets ~94% approved · ~98% paying ≤$10/fill⁶ | Mirum ahead | Mirum's number is a sales tool at the center. Marigolds AI benchmarks Bylvay's real approval/time metrics to counter it. |
| SP network | Limited SP · Optum Frontier Therapies launch partner · Accredo / CVS Specialty / Optum Specialty in plan networks⁷ | Plan-dependent SPs · overnight ship post-approval | Parity | In-network at the PBM-captive SPs is fine — the gap is hub navigation speed, not dispensing reach |
| Genetic testing | Ipsen-Sponsored Cholestasis Panel · no-charge 110-gene (Labcorp/Invitae) + counseling⁸ | Mirum-sponsored no-cost cholestasis panel | Parity | Both free — but the panel that returns first opens the PA front door first. Push Ipsen panel at the referral point. |
| Expanded access | PAP for uninsured / hardship via Ipsen Cares | Expanded Access Program (EAP) via Clinigen for ALGS + PFIC | Parity | Close any bridge / interim-supply gap so no child goes untreated during the months-long PA |
| Time-to-therapy | Months — genetic results + serial labs + ItchRO + prior-failure docs | Same gauntlet — but MAP optimized to compress it | The battleground | Marigolds AI PA Documentation Assistant pre-populates payer-ready packets and tracks the clock — close the gap to MAP |
When the bottleneck moved from coverage to time-to-therapy, it moved from a contracting problem to an information problem — and that's the part Marigolds AI is built for. Most of the months-long delay is the right information not being in the right place at the right time. Here is the gauntlet, step by step, with each delay point tagged: Marigolds AI removes the information work, or it stays with your people. We don't staff your hub or call your centers — we make the people who do act with perfect payer knowledge and never miss a clock.
Click any component to see what's inside — what decision it enables, who acts on it, and when.
Bylvay is in market across PFIC and ALGS, with Livmarli contesting the PFIC franchise now. The BOLD biliary-atresia readout in 2026 is the catalyst for a third, far larger indication. Marigolds AI runs continuously across all three phases.
Upload your AMCP dossier, value story, P&T deck, PA criteria comparison, or competitive intelligence on Mirum. Ask questions that build on each other. At the end, synthesize everything into a downloadable executive brief.