The official launch this week of Abbott's former biopharma research business as standalone company AbbVie also saw its social media debut.

Given the rather more important business of bringing together 21,000 employees spread across 170 countries under a new corporate flag, the company is starting cautiously in social media.

So, rather than trying to set up presences on as many networks as possible, AbbVie just has a Twitter account so far for communication and news, and is using LinkedIn and Facebook for recruitment purposes.

While you have to be wary of how you use social media statistics, it's nevertheless worth noting that AbbVie has gained more than 450 followers on Twitter since its first tweet two days ago.

The decision to join the social network is indicative of how important Twitter has become as a corporate communications tool, one that has a natural place alongside email and RSS feeds when it comes to disseminating news.

It also provides me with an ideal opportunity to once again update the Digital Handbook and its pharma social media directory with some of the new, or new to me at least, pharma initiatives that have crossed my radar, focusing this time on Twitter.

Sanofi's health 2.0 training for healthcare professionals

Falling into the 'not new, but new to me' category is an programme run by Sanofi Spain that sees it provide free health 2.0 training to healthcare professionals.

Campus Sanofi covers subjects such as how to communicate with patients online, the use of tools such as Google Reader and mobile apps, and information about online healthcare communities. 

The programme, which brings to mind Roche UK's social media work with patient groups, naturally makes substantial use of social media itself, with presences on Facebook, YouTube, Slideshare and, of course, Twitter.

Other pharma Twitter accounts to follow

Sticking with Spain, the next pharma Twitter addition to the directory comes from Merck KGaA, whose Spanish operations line up alongside company Twitter accounts for multiple sclerosis news and its bio-manufacturing arm Merck Millipore.

These accounts are joined in the Digital Handbook by ones from GlaxoSmithKline, Gilead Sciences and Ironwood Pharma, plus European pharma association EFPIA and its Italian counterpart the Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco.

• Links to all these accounts, and many more, can be found in the Twitter section of the Digital Handbook's pharma social media directory.

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