# Utah authorizes Nolla's AI to prescribe topical acne treatments > Source: > Published: 2026-10-05 21:06:14+00:00 # Utah authorizes Nolla's AI to prescribe topical acne treatments **The state-approved pilot starts with two physicians reviewing every prescription and can move toward retrospective checks only after regulatory sign-off.** By [Ryan Merket](https://runtimewire.com/author/ryan-merket) ยท Published Primary source: [X](https://x.com/luiswenus/status/2107123349348298800) ## Why it matters Utah's agreement lets Nolla test AI-issued first-time prescriptions under physician review; any reduction in review depends on performance and state approval. Utah has authorized Nolla Health to use AI to issue initial prescriptions for topical acne treatments under a state pilot, a step beyond programs limited to renewing medication previously prescribed by a clinician. CEO [Luis Wenus (@luiswenus)](https://x.com/luiswenus) announced the authorization in an [X post](https://x.com/luiswenus/status/2107123349348298800) on October 5th, calling Nolla the first organization in the United States to receive approval for AI to issue initial prescriptions. That "first" claim comes from Nolla; Utah's authorization is a narrow, temporary regulatory agreement, not a federal approval or a state endorsement of the product. [https://x.com/luiswenus/status/2107123349348298800](https://x.com/luiswenus/status/2107123349348298800) Utah's [authorized-pilots listing](https://commerce.utah.gov/ai/regulatory-relief-4/authorized-pilots/) says Nolla may issue first-time prescriptions and refills for topical acne creams and gels to adults with mild to moderate acne. The agreement excludes severe acne, oral medication and isotretinoin. During the initial stage, two Utah-licensed physicians must review each prescription before it reaches a pharmacy. Later stages would allow prescriptions to be sent first and reviewed afterward, then move to sampling, but each transition requires written approval from the state. The state agreement, signed on September 22nd, grants regulatory mitigation for the specific services and legal provisions it names. It says the arrangement does not constitute Utah's endorsement of Nolla's AI. The pilot's 12-month term begins when Nolla makes the technology available to customers and notifies the state. The public listing says the demonstration period had not started; Nolla's [product page](https://www.nollahealth.com/ai-prescriptions) describes the service as now piloting in Utah. The agreement also requires professional liability insurance, adverse-event reporting within 24 hours, monthly reporting that includes physician-AI agreement rates, and disclosure to pharmacies that AI generated the prescription. For Wenus, the authorization moves Nolla's AI beyond gathering information before a clinician takes over. Nolla says patients complete a medical intake and face scan, after which its system selects from a limited treatment list; cases the system cannot confidently handle are routed to a physician. Its Utah offering is for residents 18 and older, and the company advertises a pilot price starting at $4.99 a month. The [Nolla Derm page](https://www.nollahealth.com/ai-prescriptions) also describes medication delivery or pharmacy pickup, progress scans and access to a licensed physician by message. Wenus's route to Nolla combines consumer-product operations with a healthcare thesis. [General Catalyst, which led Nolla's $4.5 million seed round in 2025](https://www.generalcatalyst.com/stories/seeding-the-future-with-nolla-health), described Wenus as Worldcoin's first employee to lead go-to-market, helping scale the product from zero users to one million. Nolla co-founder Luis Soenksen, now listed by Nolla as its founding scientific adviser, brought a decade of dermatology-focused AI research at MIT, Johns Hopkins and the Harvard Wyss Institute, according to the investor's account. In announcing the Utah pilot, Wenus said Nolla plans to start with acne and expand into women's health and other specialties. The seed round also included SNO Ventures and Diede van Lamoen, according to the investor announcement. Nolla has said its app treated more than 10,000 patients under clinician oversight before the Utah announcement; that is a company-reported figure, and it does not establish how many users will receive AI-issued prescriptions in the pilot. The model is a limited test of Utah's regulatory sandbox, which allows tailored relief under state supervision. Its [agreement with Nolla](https://commerce.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/RMA-Nolla-Health.pdf) preserves physician review at launch and makes expansion conditional on performance and state approval. For the first 100 patients, the plan calls for two independent physicians to review each prescription before pharmacy submission. After that, a proposed stage would allow AI submission with weekly physician review of all cases; a later stage would require monthly review of at least 10% of enrollment. The agreement's stated performance targets include at least 95% treatment concordance with physicians and no missed hard stops in quality checks. Those are targets in the pilot plan, not demonstrated results. Utah's permission does not mean an AI doctor is already operating independently. The Los Angeles Times reported that Utah's earlier Doctronic pilot concerned refills of existing prescriptions, while Nolla's agreement covers initial topical acne prescriptions. That same report described Utah's narrow exception to licensing rules and noted the earlier pilot drew objections from the state's medical licensing board. Nolla's test starts with a familiar, tightly bounded condition and mandatory physician review. The company's larger bet is that reliable performance there can earn permission for less review and, eventually, other areas of care.