THE WHAT? Utah has authorised Nolla Health to use artificial intelligence to assess acne and issue prescriptions for topical treatments without direct physician approval, under a first-of-its-kind regulatory pilot.

THE DETAILS Nolla Health’s app uses facial scans alongside patients’ medical information to assess acne severity and recommend treatments from a list of eight approved topical medications. The programme will initially operate with greater physician oversight: the first 100 prescriptions will be reviewed before reaching pharmacies, followed by retrospective weekly reviews for the next 400 patients and monthly reviews of at least 10 percent of prescriptions thereafter. Utah has granted the company a narrow exception to rules requiring prescriptions to be issued by licensed medical professionals, while the pilot will operate for one year with the possibility of extension.

THE WHY? The pilot could signal a significant shift in the intersection of beauty, dermatology and AI-enabled healthcare, potentially creating new digital routes to prescription acne treatment while raising regulatory questions around clinical oversight, prescribing responsibility and the role of AI in dermatological care.

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