On 14 October 2009, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC or the Commission) announced that it reached a proposed settlement with Pfizer Inc. regarding its proposed acquisition of Wyeth to settle charges that the proposed transaction would substantially lessen competition in numerous US markets for animal pharmaceuticals and vaccines in violation of US federal antitrust laws. The FTC entered a proposed consent order requiring the parties to divest or return exclusive distribution rights to several animal health products in order to remedy the alleged anti-competitive effects resulting from the transaction. The FTC also stated that after a thorough investigation, it concluded that the proposed transaction would not raise competitive concerns in any markets for human health products.