US Startup Begins Issuing First-Time Acne Prescriptions Generated Entirely by AI
Residents of Utah can now receive an initial acne prescription written entirely by an AI system rather than a doctor, through a pilot program from healthcare startup Nolla Health. The company says it is the first in the country to have AI issue new prescriptions, not just renewals.
Healthcare startup Nolla Health has announced that people living in Utah can now use its mobile app to scan their face and receive an acne prescription generated entirely by artificial intelligence. The app's AI system evaluates how severe a user's acne is and independently decides on a treatment, a development first reported by Bloomberg.
Oversight eases in stages
The rollout is structured as a pilot program in which physician involvement decreases over time. For the first 100 patients, two doctors will check and approve every AI-written prescription before it reaches the patient. Once the program reaches up to 500 patients, physicians will only review prescriptions after they have already been issued. Beyond that point, the company says doctors will audit at least 10 percent of all prescriptions each month, along with every case that involves a complication or side effect.
Part of a wider Utah trend
Utah began permitting AI systems to renew certain prescriptions earlier this year, and several other healthcare companies in the state are already experimenting with similar tools. Nolla Health, however, says it is the first company in the United States to use AI for writing brand-new prescriptions rather than simply renewing existing ones. The company frames the service as a supplement to physicians rather than a replacement, arguing it frees up dermatologists to focus on more complex and higher-risk patients by handling routine, low-severity cases.
Price and eligibility
The service costs $4.99 per month and is available only to Utah residents aged 18 or older who have mild-to-moderate acne. If the AI system cannot confidently settle on a treatment, users are referred to a physician instead. The AI is currently able to prescribe eight different skin treatments.
