Hyderabad: Dr Sivaranjani Santosh has resigned from the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) after she was served legal notices from pharmaceutical companies for publicly questioning the content of oral rehydration drinks, The Hindu reported.
Citing the lack of support from the institution, Santosh formally resigned, saying, “Enough is enough.”
The Hyderabad-based pediatrician, who had fought for eight years against the misleading oral rehydration solutions (ORS) labelling, had received notices by companies such as Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson, accusing her of making false and defamatory statements about their products.
Dr Santosh maintained that she aimed to raise awareness about the arbitrary use of electrolyte drinks by children, specifically their regular use as hydration products. However, the notice denied claims that ORSL products continued to be sold or had been rebranded as ERZL.
Santosh said that the IAP neither condemned the notice nor backed her publicly despite her appeals. The academy instead issued, according to her, a questionable position statement on ORS. “Why release a statement on ORS now, when it has been in use for decades?” she asked, noting that the time and message raised a conflict of interest.
‘Even global companies cautioned against use of artificial sweeteners’
The IAP represents the largest collective of pediatricians in the country, with a membership surpassing 47,000.
The pediatrician also challenged the IAP’s statement referring to sucralose, arguing that the subject appeared selective. She observed that global pediatric organisations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Pediatric Society, cautioned against the long-term use of artificial sweeteners in children’s drinks, due to a lack of detailed research on how these affect gut health and potential metabolic risks such as diabetes.
She alleged that the pharmaceutical companies’ financial ties with medical conferences influenced IAP’s stance. The institute stayed silent due to its links to corporate sponsorships, Santosh said, even though other medical groups had previously spoken against the legal threats faced by a doctor raising public health concerns.
Expressing disappointment over the deliberate attempts to portray her negatively within the community, she said, “I had raised concerns with the IAP over several years before taking a public stand. If calling out decisions that harm children’s interests is termed abusive, I stand by what I said,” she said.
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