This startup is issuing AI-generated acne prescriptions

Utah has signed off on letting Nolla Health’s AI system scan a user’s face and issue a prescription directly.

Utah has signed off on letting Nolla Health’s AI system scan a user’s face and issue a prescription directly.

by

Emma Roth

Oct 5, 2026, 8:14 PM UTC

Image: Nolla Health

Emma Roth

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.

People in Utah can now use AI to get a prescription for acne treatment. On Monday,healthcare startup Nolla Health announcedthat users in the state can scan their faces using its app, allowing its AI system to analyze acne severity and autonomously write a prescription, asreported earlier byBloomberg.

The service is launching as a pilot program with gradually loosening physician oversight. Two physicians will approve each AI-generated prescription before they’re issued for the first 100 patients, but will start reviewing them onlyafterthey’re prescribed for up to 500 patients. “After that, physicians review a sample of at least 10% of prescriptions every month, plus every case involving an escalation or side effect,”Nolla Health says.

Several otherhealthcare companiesare experimentingwith AI-generated prescriptions in Utah, whichstarted allowing AI systems to renewcertain medications earlier this year. But Nolla Health says it’s the first in the country to issue initial prescriptions, rather than renewals. “The pilot is designed to complement, not replace, physicians,” Nolla Health writes in its press release. “By handling routine, low-acuity cases, Nolla Derm frees dermatologists to focus on complex, high-risk patients.”

The program will cost $4.99 / month, and only applies to Utah residents who are 18 years of age or older and have mild-to-moderate acne. Nolla Health says it will direct users to a physician if its AI system cannot “confidently select a treatment.” The startup’s AI can currently prescribe eight different skin treatments, according toBloomberg.

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