Dr. Sivaranjani Santosh, a renowned Hyderabad-based paediatrician, has resigned from the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) following a high-profile legal notice from consumer health major Kenvue. For over eight years, Dr. Santosh has campaigned against high-sugar electrolyte drinks being marketed in a manner that confuses them with life-saving Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS).
The notice, issued in March 2026, demanded she remove social media content regarding products ORSL and ERZL, accusing her of spreading “unscientific myths.” Citing a lack of institutional support from the IAP and alleging corporate influence over the academy, Dr. Santosh stepped down in April 2026. While Kenvue maintains its products are science-backed and regulatory-compliant, medical bodies like the HRDA and T-SRDA have rallied behind the doctor, condemning the legal action as an attempt to silence public health advocacy.
A Stand for Science Amidst Legal Pressure
The controversy reached a boiling point when Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson accused Dr. Santosh of “malicious and unscientific” campaigning. The companies claimed their products are clearly positioned ORSL as a WHO-standard drug and ERZL as a food-grade electrolyte beverage and argued that their newer formulations contain 87% less sugar.
However, Dr. Santosh pointed out that the similar branding of ERZL continues to mislead parents into using it as a therapeutic solution for diarrhoea, which can be fatal. “No child should end up in a coma because parents mistook a product for genuine ORS,” she stated. In her resignation, she described the IAP’s environment as “suffocating,” alleging that the leadership prioritized corporate funding over child safety.
The Long Battle Over Labelling
Dr. Santosh’s advocacy was a primary catalyst for the FSSAI’s October 2025 landmark directive, which prohibits any product from using the term “ORS” unless it strictly adheres to WHO electrolyte standards. Despite this victory, the doctor raised fresh concerns regarding the use of sucralose in ERZL, citing WHO guidelines and caution from international paediatric bodies about the long-term metabolic risks of artificial sweeteners in children.
While the IAP issued a position statement suggesting sucralose is safe within dose-dependent limits, Dr. Santosh criticised the timing and specificity of the statement, suggesting it was designed to provide legal cover for corporate interests rather than protect public health.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
At The Logical Indian, we believe that the health of our children should never be a casualty of corporate marketing or institutional silence. A doctor’s ethical duty is to the patient, and when advocacy for safer public health standards is met with legal intimidation, the entire medical community’s autonomy is at risk. We stand for a world where scientific dialogue is encouraged through evidence, not suppressed through litigation.
It is disheartening to see a veteran professional forced to choose between her institutional affiliation and her commitment to child safety. We urge medical bodies to remember that their primary loyalty must remain with the public they serve, ensuring that transparency and empathy guide their policies over commercial considerations.
