🇪🇸 Spanish, 6 October 2026, AI in healthcare
US AI System Gets Approval to Prescribe Acne Treatments Without Doctor
A limited pilot program in Utah allows an AI system to generate initial prescriptions for mild to moderate acne treatments.
The US startup Nolla Health has received approval in Utah to have its system emit initial prescriptions for acne treatments without a doctor’s approval. The permission is limited and has stages of control, opening a debate on how far AI can go in medicine. The AI system, Nolla Derm, can generate a treatment plan and, when appropriate, a prescription in approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
The system verifies the patient’s identity, obtains their consent, conducts a questionnaire, and requests a facial scan from five angles. Nolla Health claims that its system does not make decisions through an open text field, but rather selects from pre-approved therapeutic protocols by professionals.
The pilot program is restricted to topical treatments for mild to moderate acne in adults in Utah, and the AI system cannot indicate oral medications or isotretinoin, a treatment for severe acne cases.