Hyderabad doctor quits Instagram after long battle over ORS-like beverage branding: ‘Tired of fighting alone'

Hyderabad-based paediatrician Dr Sivaranjani Santosh, who caught the attention of social media for her campaign against beverages that she believes could be mistaken for Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS), has announced that she is stepping away from Instagram after years of advocacy on the issue.

Dr Santosh told The Indian Express that said she felt exhausted by the prolonged battle and disappointed by the response of professional bodies to the concerns she had raised.

“I am tired of fighting alone. I was hurt by the way the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) treated me, and more importantly, the way they treated the concerns raised by me,” Dr Santosh told the publication.

Her decision comes after she resigned from the Indian Academy of Paediatrics, the country's leading body of paediatricians. According to Dr Santosh, she felt the organisation did not adequately address her concerns regarding a beverage brand setting up kiosks at its annual conference. The brand had previously used the term ORS in its name.

The Campaign That Brought National Attention

Dr Santosh came into the spotlight following an eight-year campaign focused on products that she said could be confused with Oral Rehydration Solution, a medically recognised formulation used to treat dehydration caused by diarrhoea.

ORS is considered a life-saving intervention because its composition is carefully designed to replace fluids and electrolytes lost during illness. According to medical experts, changes to the formulation can alter the balance of salts and sugars, potentially affecting how fluids are absorbed by the body.

Over the years, Dr Santosh repeatedly raised concerns about fruit-based, non-carbonated beverages that, in her view, could be mistaken for ORS despite having different formulations.

Resignation From IAP And Criticism Of Leadership

After the IAP accepted her resignation, Dr Santosh publicly criticised the organisation's leadership.

“Finally, my resignation from the IAP has been accepted, thankfully! 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!”

Her criticism stems from what she described as insufficient support from the organisation in her campaign regarding products that use branding similar to ORS.

Concerns Over Kenvue's Rebranded Product

A major focus of Dr Santosh's campaign has been Kenvue, formerly the consumer health division of Johnson & Johnson.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had prohibited the use of the term "ORS" for electrolyte drinks that do not follow the World Health Organization's recommended formulation. Subsequently, Kenvue rebranded its hydration product as EZRL while retaining ORSL for its diarrhoea-specific formulation.

Dr Santosh argued that the new branding continued to resemble the earlier product, potentially creating confusion among consumers. She said similarities in the name, font style, colours, packaging layout and fruit imagery could lead people to associate the two products.

Based on these concerns, she filed a trademark opposition in February.

Kenvue's Response

In response to the opposition, Kenvue rejected the allegations.

“(The opposition)… has been filed with mala fide intent to stall the application of the Applicant and is bad in law. The present opposition proceedings are baseless as the Applicant’s trade mark ERZL … is compliant with all the provisions and in line with the orders passed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) which restricted use of ORS for food products. The Applicant herein has since re-branded their hydration portfolio…”

The company further stated:

“Since the subject mark does not contain the term ORS and the subject mark is not similar to ORS, the adoption and use of subject mark is not illegal or misleading or contrary to any Orders of the FSSAI or Hon’ble Courts.”

Why The IAP Became Part Of The Debate

Dr Santosh also questioned why the company was permitted to have a presence at IAP's Pedicon conference.

While she acknowledged that the company did not make a scientific presentation, she argued that allowing promotional stalls for products that she believes create confusion raised important questions.

Following appeals from Dr Santosh and others, the IAP issued a position statement highlighting the differences between ORS and electrolyte drinks. The statement urged clinicians to ensure that patients with diarrhoea receive properly formulated ORS products.

The organisation also referred to concerns involving products that may appear or sound similar to ORS, noting that such similarities could lead to confusion among consumers.

Dr Santosh, however, remained dissatisfied with parts of the statement, particularly its reference to non-nutritive sweeteners such as sucralose, which it said are regulated and considered safe within accepted intake limits.

She has previously expressed concerns about the regular consumption of hydration drinks containing sucralose, citing discussions within the global scientific community regarding the use of such sweeteners.