It seems that in most cases, big pharma is maintaining a wait-and-see attitude on RNAi-based drugs and will continue to rely on small- molecule approaches to therapeutics. But as patents on blockbuster medicines expire and drug pipelines increasingly run dry, some are looking into whether RNAi can be used for more than target validation. Such is the case with a deal just announced between Sirna Therapeutics and Eli Lilly.