Medication packaging and dispensing system

A method of dispensing medications in unit dosage form comprising the steps of:

• marking medication packaging material in a continuous strip with successive discrete information blocks on the strip, each block having therein the identification of the medication unit, its strength, lot number, expiration date, identification of patient for whom it is prescribed, the date and time prescribed for administration to the patient, and bar code identification of the medication;
• enclosing the medication units with the strip, each successive medication unit being confined to a different one of said blocks on the strip whereby the medication identification is visibly associated with the medication unit;
• and
• enclosing in each block of a series of blocks on the strip, a medication unit identical to the medication unit in the next preceding block and next succeeding block on the strip.

A medication packaging and dispensing machine comprising:

• a body:
• a feeder bowl coupled to said body;
• a sizing disk in said feeder bowl to receive medication units from said bowl and carry them individually to a discharge outlet;
• a product drop tube having an inlet associated with said outlet to receive said units and guide them individually to a packaging station;
• a disk indexing and driving hub receiving said disk on said hub;
• packaging material strips;
• pulling and sealing rollers at said packaging station and engaging said packaging strips and moving said strips around said medication units at said packaging station and sealing said strips together perimetrically around said units individually in said strips to form a strip of packages of said units;
• printer means printing identifying information on one of said strips as said one strip is moved toward said packaging station;
• coordinating means for coordinating the movement of said disk driving hub with the movement of said rollers and printing by said printer whereby each packaged medication unit has relevant information printed thereon and successive packages on the strip of packages contain identical medication units.