Utah Approves Nolla Health Pilot for AI-Issued Acne Prescriptions

Nolla Health said in a blog post that the approval makes it the first organization in the U.S., and possibly the world, to receive regulatory approval for an AI to issue initial prescriptions. Founder Luis Wenus said in a post on X on Oct. 5, 2026, that this makes Nolla 'the first ever actual end-to-end AI doctor.'

The service is available through the Nolla Derm app on iOS devices. The company said an AI model can choose which medicine to prescribe each user from a shortlist of physician-approved topical treatments. Requests outside its strict limits are forwarded to a licensed human physician. New users must complete an intake process before speaking to the AI doctor. After approval, they can describe their acne condition, upload a facial scan and receive a treatment plan. Prescriptions can be picked up at a local pharmacy or sent to the user's home. The app also tracks progress through daily skin scans and updates treatment plans monthly.

The pilot was granted approval from the Utah Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy, the Utah Division of Professional Licensing, the Utah Medical Association and the American Academy of Dermatology. Under the agreement, the AI system may write prescriptions only for creams designed to treat topical acne. It is barred from prescribing isotretinoin and oral medications.

The pilot has three stages. In the first phase, two physicians will approve every AI-generated prescription before it is sent to the user. After at least 100 patients have gone through the process and if there are no serious problems, the pilot will move to stage two, in which the AI issues prescriptions directly without human approval and physicians review them after the fact. That stage will cover 500 patients, Nolla Health said. In stage three, human physicians will review at least 10% of all automated prescriptions on a monthly basis.

The project is being launched as part of Utah's AI Learning Lab sandbox program, which gives AI firms relief from state laws to test new products under supervision. The Utah Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy states on its authorized-pilots page that taking part in the AI sandbox 'does not mean the State of Utah has approved, endorsed, certified, or vouched for the product.'

Nolla Health Chief Medical Adviser Zaid Fadul told Inc.com that acne treatment is only a starting point. He said the startup has bigger ambitions and, if the pilot succeeds, will look at automated prescription services for other common conditions that are well understood by doctors, simple to assess remotely and treatable with medications that have strong safety profiles. Fadul said conditions such as the flu and uncomplicated urinary tract infections are worth exploring, particularly because testing can provide objective information that can be considered alongside a patient's symptoms and medical history. 'The key is having very clear guardrails,' he said.

Fadul said he expects that 10 years from now AI will be able to manage a large part of routine human healthcare checks, including diagnostics, treatments, prescription refills and routine testing. But he does not foresee AI being used for more serious medical conditions and life-changing diagnoses, or with major procedures and high-risk medications. He said some medications, such as stimulants, opioids and benzodiazepines, are too risky for AI to prescribe because some people might try to manipulate the models doing the assessments. 'Frankly, it may take a long time before we have enough evidence and the appropriate safeguards to support autonomous prescribing of some of these drugs,' Fadul said.

Editor's Summary Utah's approval makes Nolla Health the first U.S. organization cleared to test AI-issued acne prescriptions under a three-stage pilot that begins with physician review and moves toward limited automated prescribing. The pilot is restricted to topical acne creams and excludes oral medications, while Nolla says it may later explore other routine conditions. Utah's sandbox participation does not constitute state endorsement of the product.