Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official Sibyl Swift, PhD, will be the new senior vice president for scientific and regulatory affairs for the Natural Products Association (NPA).  The hire comes as NPA expands its international presence as a Codex Alimentarius NGO observer and accelerates its advocacy efforts on a host of public policy priorities including CBD regulation, New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) enforcement, permitting health savings account holders to use tax-deferred funds for supplement purchases and the future of Natural Product regulation.
 
Swift has held multiple senior positions inside the FDA, most recently as the associate director for Research and Strategy at the Office of Dietary Supplement Programs. Swift also co-chaired the Steering Team for the Botanical Safety Consortium, a collaboration between scientists from government agencies, such as the FDA and the National Toxicology Program, as well as from academia and industry.
 
“We are very excited that Dr. Swift is a part of NPA as we enter this important phase of industry regulation and expansion, especially as it relates to new and promising products like CBD. Dr. Swift is an exceptional example of NPA’s leadership and focus on effectively engaging in legislative and regulatory environments to support the industry and ensure the best, safest and most innovative natural products are accessible to people in America and around the world. No other organization in the space has this depth and breadth of understanding of how the modern-day FDA functions,” ​said Dr. Fabricant, president and CEO of NPA.
 
An Exciting New Role
In her new role, Swift will be responsible for the development and implementation of the association’s current educational, regulatory and compliance programs and efforts, such as SSCI, the NPA Natural Standard and others. Her work will also include a focus on assisting members with claim reviews and substantiation, as well as NDI notification policy.
 
“I’m excited to be joining NPA at this promising phase for this important and growing industry. As Americans and their elected officials look for ‘health-first’ strategies that promote wellness over treatment and reduce costs, I’m confident that natural products will play a larger role. I can’t wait to get to work,” said Swift.