IL6R and atherosclerosis: In this regard, direct IL-6 blockade may have pleiotropic effects on cardiovascular risk, over and beyond platelet aggregation, by affecting atherosclerosis progression and megakaryocyte maturation, among others.38,39 Interestingly, Marino et al35 observed that the P2Y12 receptor inhibitor cangrelor inhibits the release of sIL-6R from platelets, suggesting that direct IL-6 inhibition could have an overlapping function with P2Y12 receptor inhibitors, a class of drugs commonly employed in dual antiplatelet therapy.