Published Apr 12, 2026 | 8:58 AM ⚊ Updated Apr 12, 2026 | 8:58 AM
Dr Sivaranjani Santosh. Credit: x.com/dr_sivaranjani
Synopsis: Dr Sivaranjani Santosh, a paediatrician who has spent over eight years campaigning against sugar-rich drinks being misrepresented as Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS), has resigned from the Indian Association of Paediatrics. She stepped down after receiving a legal notice from Kenvue over her comments, alleging a lack of institutional support and conflict of interest.
Dr Sivaranjani Santosh, a paediatrician who has spent over eight years raising concerns about sugar-rich drinks being positioned as Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS), has resigned from the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP), alleging conflict of interest and lack of support after receiving a legal notice from Kenvue, the company behind the electrolyte drink she had been criticising.
“That was the last straw. I can’t take this toxicity anymore. If I have to choose between the IAP and children, I will choose children,” she told South First.
Santosh said the decision came after weeks of escalating tension, including what she described as inaction by the IAP and internal communication that accused her of being “abusive” and spreading lies.
Santosh has been raising concerns for years about sugar-rich drinks being positioned in ways that could be mistaken for ORS, a medically prescribed mix of salts and glucose used to treat dehydration in children.
Her advocacy recently contributed to regulatory attention from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which has taken steps against misleading claims around such products.
She said the current issue stems from similar concerns about confusion at the ground level, especially among parents.
According to Santosh, she wrote to the IAP president nearly three weeks before the legal notice, flagging that product branding and positioning could mislead “ignorant and innocent parents”.
She pointed out that for nearly two decades, similarly named products had been widely perceived as ORS and urged the body to ensure that “history doesn’t repeat”. She said she was told the matter would be examined.
Instead, she received a notice accusing her of disparaging a product, making false allegations, and asking her to remove social media posts, with a threat of defamation.
Santosh said the IAP did not condemn the notice, even as several resident bodies did. She also questioned why claims that the product had been presented at Pedicon were not addressed.
A committee was later formed, but the final position statement made no mention of the product in question. She described the statement as unnecessary and “ambiguous,” particularly on whether electrolyte drinks can be used as routine hydration.
She also noted that the statement came after the notice was issued to her.
She questioned why the statement singled out sucralose, noting that the product under scrutiny is the only one containing the sweetener, referring appear targeted rather than general.
Santosh alleged a conflict of interest, citing funding links, and said the statement described sucralose as safe without warning parents about potential long-term risks.
She added that global pediatric guidance generally discourages the daily use of artificial sweeteners for children due to potential health concerns.
Responding to claims that she had been abusive, Santosh said she had raised the issue politely for years before using stronger language.
“Everybody has a threshold, and my priority is children,” she said.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
