Doctor Flagging High-Sugar Drinks Gets Notice

Hyderabad: A Hyderabad-based paediatrician has alleged that she received legal notices from Johnson & Johnson Health Equity and Kenvue over her criticism of high-sugar drinks marketed as ORSL.

In a video posted on social media, Dr Sivaranjani Santosh questioned the notices. “How dare you send me a notice, Johnson and Johnson Health Equity and Kenvue, that you will drag me to court as I am maligning the names of ORSL and ERZL for my own commercial benefits and for increasing the number of followers for my page?” she said.

“My stance is predated and vindicated by the FSSAI order of October 14th and 15th. Delhi High Court clearly refused to give a stay,” she added.

She alleged that presenting ERZL as a form of ORSL violates regulatory orders and could mislead parents into confusing such products with ORS.

“Saying ERZL is the new form of ORSL is a clear violation of the ban order and is misleading those people who still believe ORSL is ORS. This will confuse the parents as they earlier thought ORSL is ORS and now it is likely that they think ERZL is ORS. They are dragging me to court to fight for public health. The notice is being processed by our lawyers and they will deal with it,” she said.

She said the notices are being handled by her legal team.