Nola Health’s app received its licence by a division of the Utah Department of Commerce, which has begun authorizing companies to test AI products under relaxed regulations.
The company also disclosed that the Nolla Derm app uses AI to choose from a short list of physician-approved topical treatments and prescribes those treatments to patients by mapping their medical history and skin scans against the correct intervention. Utah residents can download the Nolla Derm app on their devices and access the treatment at a discounted price of $4.99/month.
Zaid Fadul, who is the chief medical adviser at Nolla Health, is also a part of the physician team overseeing the Utah pilot and told Inc. that acne is only a starting point for the startup.
Nolla Health’s app instructs patients to scan their face when they first sign up into the system. Patients complete a 10-15 minute form recording their medical history and personal information.
Nolla Health’s AI software analyzes the patients’ skin, identifies the acne problem, rates the skin’s oiliness, and then generates a numerical “acne severity score” that ranges between clear skin and severe acne.
It then combines the AI-generated score with personal medical information to recommend medication from a list of eight approved treatments that would typically be reviewed and prescribed by a clinician.
According to Nola Health, the app cannot create its own treatment regimens and hands over the case to a licensed physician when it cannot confidently choose a treatment.
The app only prescribes medications that have strong safety profiles. According to the Nolla Health team, the adverse effects of the eight approved medications, some of which are already available over the counter, are limited to localized skin irritation or dryness.
The program is also limited to topical medications which are applied to the skin, rather than pills or hormone therapies, which require more robust monitoring.
Nolla Health’s pilot program will operate in three stages:
First stage: The first 100 patients’ AI-generated prescriptions will be reviewed by a physician before they are submitted to a pharmacy.
Second stage: The next 500 patients’ prescriptions will be submitted to pharmacies by the AI and reviewed by a physician weekly.
Third stage: After that, a physician will review a sample of prescriptions including at least 10% of the total prescriptions, once a month.
For Nolla Health, that means its prescriptions will carry the name of a clinician without a human professional actually writing it, Chief Executive Luis Wenus said in an interview.
Nolla Health’s Chief Medical Advisor fears that patients might manipulate the AI system for drugs prone to misuse, dependence, or diversion. Fadul also shared his concerns over opioids, stimulants, and benzodiazepines being used for personal benefits and that these shouldn’t become autonomously available simply because the technology makes it possible.
The Nolla Health app costs about $5 per month, and its prescribed medications are available at about $50 per month. That is drastically lower compared to a traditional dermatologist visit which can cost anything between $150 to $300. This could help in making treatment accessible and reducing wait times and travel time.
According to Nolla Health’s Chief Executive Wenus, the company’s goal is to eventually expand its scope outside of acne medication and become an “all-in personal doctor in families, driven by AI.” The first step toward that goal starts in Utah, where Nolla Health’s AI tool will automate nearly every part of the care experience.
(Rh/MF/MSM)