Description

The Dalkon Shield, an IUD,  was invented by  Dr. Hugh Davis, c1970, who subsequently sold it to A.H. Robins C0. in 1971. It was widely prescribed as a contraceptive.This IUD was offered in two sizes: one for woman who had given birth and one for women who had not. The former is $95,00, the latter $125.00. It soon became apparent that it was creating very serious health issue for some women who had received one. In 1974 it was withdrawn from the market. A law suit followed:

Barclay Littelfied in his 2020 essay on the Dalkon shield lawsuit notes (   https://www.ukessays.com/essays/law/the-dalkon-shield-lawsuit.php   ):

” The Dalkon Shield event was an eye opener to the whole world. The IUD was withdrawal from the market. 7,600 claims comprising of about $245 million USD were settled by the insurance claim firm around the Fall of 1984. At the end of 1985 A.H Robins was declared to be bankrupt while paying for the 4,500 medical bills from the doctors for the removal of the devices. Media campaign was released in the October 1984 advising women who were still wearing the Dalkon Shield to remove them immediately. $615 million USD was paid in total for the settlement of the claims of the patients and the doctors. Shortly after this the Dalkon Shield company was sold to the American Home products in 1989 ^[9].

It was not until 1984 that Robins’s Company launched an advertising campaign urging women still using the device to have it removed at the company’s expense. By the end of March 1985, 4,437 women had complied and filed claims for removal expenses. That year the A.H. Robins Company filed for Chapter 11 reorganization, which prevented more lawsuits. Overall, nearly 8 percent of American women who had used the Dalkon Shield filed claims against the company. “