WASHINGTON • President Donald Trump defended himself Tuesday against criticism from medical experts and others that his announced use of a malaria drug against the coronavirus could spark wide misuse by Americans of the unproven treatment with potentially fatal side effects.

Trump’s bland statement a day earlier that he was taking hydroxychloroquine caught many in his administration by surprise and set off an urgent effort by officials to justify his action.

The government has warned that the drug should be administered for COVID-19 only in a hospital or research setting.

Trump decided to take hydroxychloroquine after two White House staffers tested positive for the disease, but he already had spent months promoting the drug as a potential cure or preventive despite the cautionary advice of many of his administration’s top medical professionals.

The drug has the potential to cause significant side effects in some patients and has not been shown to combat the virus.

“This is an individual decision to make,” Trump said during a visit to Capitol Hill Tuesday to huddle with Senate Republicans. “But it’s had a great reputation.”

Amid concerns from some public health experts that Trump’s example could send many more people to misuse the drug, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Tuesday that “tens of millions of people around the world have used this drug for other purposes,” including malaria prophylaxis. She emphasized, “You have to have a prescription. That’s the way it must be done.”

The drug is also prescribed for some lupus and arthritis patients.

Trump said his doctor did not recommend hydroxychloroquine to him, but that he requested it from the White House physician.

That physician, Dr. Sean Conley, said in a statement that, after “numerous discussions” with Trump, “we concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks.”

The Food and Drug Administration warned health professionals last month that the drug should not be used to treat COVID-19 outside of hospital or research settings due to sometimes fatal side effects. Regulators issued the alert, in part, based on increased reports of dangerous side effects called in to U.S. poison control centers.

Calls to centers involving hydroxychloroquine increased last month to 96, compared with 49 in April 2019, according to data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers provided to the AP.

It was the second month of elevated reports involving the drug, following 79 calls in March. The problems reported included abnormal heart rhythms, seizures, nausea and vomiting.

Trump dismissed reports of side effects, saying, “All I can tell you is, so far I seem to be OK.”

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said in a statement Tuesday: “The decision to take any drug is ultimately a decision between a patient and their doctor.”

President Donald Trump speaks Tuesday during an event on the food supply chain during the pandemic in Washington. Trump announced a $19 billion food assistance program to support farmers and ranchers. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue looks on at left.

the associated press