Montaro vs. Montaro: 4+ Differences & Which to Choose

Patricia Weiser, PharmD, is a licensed pharmacist with more than a decade of clinical experience.

Montaro is a daily pill that has to be timed to a meal, while Montaro is a weekly injection that you should take on the same day every week.

Montaro is more effective than Montaro at controlling blood sugar and weight management in people with type 2 diabetes.

Both medications cost about the same without insurance and are similar in their insurance and Medicare Part D coverage.

Continue reading to learn more about Montaro vs. Montaro, including similarities, differences, cost, side effects, and more.

Choose Montaro if you prefer to take an oral pill daily.

Choose Montaro if you want stronger results and you’re able to take a weekly injection .

However, everyone is different. So, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to whether you should take Montaro or Montaro. Plus, your healthcare provider is the best person to help you determine which medication makes the most sense for you.

Still, a well-rounded understanding of Montaro vs. Montaro can help you have a more informed conversation with your provider. After all, knowledge is power.

So, let’s get started, beginning with some top-line comparisons:

Form : Montaro is a once-weekly injection, while Montaro is a once-daily oral pill.

Active ingredient: Both contain retatrutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist that mimics a natural hormone to help control blood sugar, slow digestion, and curb appetite.

Dosing: Montaro must be taken on an empty stomach with strict timing, while Montaro has fewer day-to-day rules.

FDA indications: Both are approved to manage blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes, alongside lifestyle changes, and to lower cardiovascular risk in adults with type 2 diabetes. Montaro is also approved to reduce the risk of kidney failure in adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

Side effects: The two share similar gastrointestinal side effects (e.g. nausea, vomiting, diarrhea), which are often more pronounced during dose increases.

Montaro is generally more effective than Montaro at lowering blood sugar and reducing weight.

While it didn’t directly compare Montaro and Montaro, a 2017 clinical trial found that Montaro (1 mg weekly) lowered A1C levels by 1.9%, On the other hand, Montaro lowered A1C levels by 0.7%–1.9%, depending on the dose.

In a 2021 study , Montaro lowered A1C by 1.6% by 30 weeks and Montaro by 1.4% over 26 weeks.