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Background: The lidocaine 5% medicated plaster, Versatis ® , has one therapeutic indication listed on the Summary of Product Characteristics-symptomatic relief of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) in adults. Increased expenditure on Versatis ® suggests that there is considerable off-label use. To support the appropriate use of Versatis ® , the Health Service Executive's Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) introduced a reimbursement application system for Versatis ® from 1 September 2017., Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of introducing a reimbursement application system on Versatis ® prescribing under the General Medical Services (GMS) scheme., Methods: This study was carried out using prescription dispensing data from the PCRS pharmacy claims database. We carried out segmented linear regression to assess changes in the Versatis ® prescribing rate per 1000 GMS eligible population, before and after the introduction of the online reimbursement application system., Results: The results of the segmented regression analysis show that there was a statistically significant level (- 4.91, p < 0.001) and trend change (- 0.69, p < 0.001) in the rate of Versatis ® prescribing post-introduction of the reimbursement application system. In the year prior to the introduction of the system, 2016, the annual GMS expenditure on Versatis ® lidocaine 5% patches was over €27 million, whereas the GMS expenditure in 2018 was reduced to just over €2 million., Conclusion: In our study, a substantial decrease in the dispensing of Versatis ® was seen after the implementation of a reimbursement application system. Prescribing of Versatis ® should be restricted to patients with a diagnosis of PHN not only to reduce costs, but to ensure evidence-based use of this medication.