Merck Nabs Pole Position in RNAi With $1.1 Billion Sirna Buy

Merck's takeout of Sirna gives a boost to platform biotech investors and has allowed Merck to stake an expansive claim in RNAi. The deal caps a massive turnaround for Sirna--previously Ribozyme Pharmaceuticals--and rewards the investors who took an early chance on RNAi therapies. The move should pay off handsomely for Merck, now the leader in RNAi, provided the technology turns out to be the next Antibodies, not the next Antisense.