A large new study led in Baltimore by the University of Maryland School of Medicine aims to show that a malaria drug repeatedly promoted by President Donald Trump for the coronavirus without much evidence does help stem infections.

People in Maryland and at least a half-dozen other states who have been exposed to the virus began taking hydroxychloroquine this week, and researchers will monitor them to see whether the drug either prevents the respiratory infection or lessens the severity of the symptoms if they do get sick.

“The hope is that we find it works as prevention,” said Dr. Miriam K. Laufer, principal investigator in Baltimore for the study. “But I’d be pleased if it works to decrease the severity of illness or the duration of infection.”

The drug has been used for decades to treat malaria and autoimmune diseases such as lupus and is considered safe in lower doses in many people, said Laufer, a hydroxychloroquine expert in the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health.

It has shown mixed results in smaller studies, and she and others launched this trial hoping it could help stem the spread of the COVID-19 illness by preventing the virus from infecting human cells.

But doctors and researchers have become frustrated by reports of people heeding Trump’s advice and hoarding the drug so that it’s not available for those who use it for other diseases. They also are alarmed, Laufer said, because people may be self-dosing a drug that can be toxic.

Some studies have been halted after sick COVID-19 patients developed heart problems and other troubles. The drug can be particularly dangerous for those with preexisting heart issues. Other studies weren’t designed to prove that the drug was responsible for improvements because they didn’t have a “control group” with patients taking placebos so researchers could compare patient outcomes.

The use of hydroxychloroquine has prompted the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology and Heart Rhythm Society to jointly warn doctors of serious potential complications from the drug and an antibiotic called azithromycin.

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