CHENNAI: Hyderabad-based paediatrician Dr Sivaranjani Santosh, who has been in the limelight over the past few months regarding the mislabelling of products such as ORSL, has quit the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP), alleging a conflict of interest and a lack of support from the organisation. She was recently served notice from Kenvue, the company behind the electrolyte drink, ORSL. The pharma company alleged in its legal notice that Santosh had been maligning the company's name for her own commercial benefit.
In an X post, the doctor said the IAP has been more worried about the funds it gets from Kenvue than the safety of children. She added that the organisation did not publicly condemn the notice served to her last month or their new launch 'eRSL' for everyday hydration. However, the composition of the drink has sucralose, a non-nutritive sweetener.
In January, at PEDICON 2025, an annual conference held by the IAP, Kenvue introduced a ready-to-drink WHO-approved ORS formula, following the controversy last year over their ORSL energy drink. Following backlash, IAP formed a 28-member committee and released a statement urging not to confuse electrolytes with ORS; however, it did not mention the product in question.
Santosh has been fighting for over eight years over the mislabelling of products as ORS that do not follow the WHO-recommended formula for electrolytes. In October last year, an FSSAI directive prohibited the use of the term 'ORS' by any pharma or food brands unless they strictly adhere to the WHO's formula.