Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd has decided to keep both pharma and FMCG stockists for the over-the-counter products, thus bringing to an end what could have snowballed into a major dispute with the pharma trade. It is learnt that a very senior official of the company from New Delhi intervened and solved the problem by holding telephonic conversations with the stockists here this week.

The pharma stockists were upset after the Ranbaxy Global Consumer Healthcare (RGCH), the new OTC division of RLL, decided to replace them with FMCG stockists and had threatened to take action to stop all sales of RLL's domestic formulations sales.

The Rs 50 crore-odd RGCH division has entered the domestic market with four key over-the-counter) brands - Revital, Pepfiz, Gesdyp and Garlic Pearls this month. The company hopes to bolster sales with the availability of these products at neighbourhood grocery shops.

RLL's Regional Director (India) Sanjiv D Kaul, who is responsible for the domestic formulation sales, said that the current channel of distribution will be maintained. "The pharma stockists have started invoicing the OTC division products from yesterday. The 100-odd FMCG stockists will start invoicing in a couple of days."

Revital, the mainstay of the OTC division, which was not available in a few markets as Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Kanpur and Lucknow due to the tiff with the stockists, will soon be available there, it is learnt.