After IAP exit, Hyderabad paediatrician Sivaranjani Santosh alleges pharma influence, seeks probe into ORSL promotion

Hyderabad-based paediatrician Dr Sivaranjani Santosh has said that her resignation from the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP), which she submitted nearly two months ago, has now been formally accepted by the organisation.

In a post on social media platform X, Dr Santosh said that the acceptance of her resignation had freed her from any obligation to remain restrained in criticising the academy’s leadership. “So far, I had to show some restraint before calling the leadership out for their pathetic slavery to pharma. Now, I am under no obligation to show that restraint,” she wrote.

The paediatrician alleged that while the IAP had previously been led by ethical leaders who helped the organisation achieve significant milestones, its leadership in recent years had prioritised pharmaceutical funding over child safety. She said she was relieved to have exited the organisation.

Dr Santosh also called upon the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to investigate what she described as the continued presence of stalls promoting ORSL, a hydration drink marketed by Johnson and Johnson’s consumer health business Kenvue, at PEDICON conferences organised by the IAP.

According to her, she had repeatedly brought the issue to the attention of the IAP leadership but no action was taken. She alleged that ORSL, which contains higher sugar levels than standard World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended oral rehydration solution (ORS), was being promoted and sold in schools, pharmacies and hospitals in a manner that could mislead consumers into believing it was equivalent to ORS.

Dr Santosh further alleged that parents were not adequately informed about the risks associated with the routine consumption of sucralose-containing beverages by children. She also questioned why the professional body had allowed Kenvue to claim that its products had been scientifically presented at PEDICON conferences without facing any condemnation from the organisation.

“Those in the State and central leadership whom I approached with these concerns, but who failed to escalate the matter to the Union Health Ministry, must answer to the parents of children who suffered worsening diarrhoea after consuming high-sugar ORSL that was being marketed and sold as ORS across the country,” Dr Santosh said.