Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)
                                                      Registration No. 333-97207

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT NO. 3
To Prospectus dated November 22, 2002

                       Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation
                2.5% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes Due 2032
                                       and
           Class A Common Stock Issuable Upon Conversion of the Notes

         This document  supplements our prospectus  dated November 22, 2002 (the
"prospectus")  relating to $400,000,000  aggregate  principal amount of our 2.5%
Contingent  Convertible  Senior  Notes  Due  2032 and the  Class A common  stock
issuable  upon  conversion  of  the  Notes.  You  should  read  this  prospectus
supplement  in  conjunction  with the  accompanying  prospectus,  which is to be
delivered by selling  securityholders to prospective  purchasers along with this
prospectus supplement and any other prospectus  supplements.  The information in
the following  table  supplements  the  information  under the caption  "Selling
Securityholders" in the prospectus.


                                                                                            Class A
                                                                                       -----------------  -------------------
                                                                                         Common Stock
                                                 Aggregate Principal   Percentage of     Beneficially       Class A Common
                                                Amount of Notes that       Notes        Owned Prior to     Stock Registered
Name                                                 may be sold        Outstanding      Conversion(1)          Hereby
                                                                                                      
Akela Capital Master Fund, Ltd.                      $ 2,500,000             *               *                     43,029
ADI   Alternative   Investments  c/o  Kallista         3,000,000             *               *                     51,635
Master Fund
B-Top Growth                                           3,000,000             *               *                     51,635
Convertible Securities Fund                              100,000             *               *                      1,721
Kallister High Yield Master Fund Ltd.                  1,000,000             *               *                     17,211
KBC  Financial   Products   [Cayman   Islands]         2,000,000             *               *                     34,423
Limited
Nations Convertible Securities Fund                    8,000,000           2.00              *                    137,693
Privelege Portfolio Sicav                              2,000,000             *               *                     34,423
Sage Capital                                           4,500,000           1.12              *                     77,452
     Subtotal                                        $26,100,000           6.52              *                    449,222

-----------------
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(1)      Assumes that any other holders of Notes or any future  transferee  from
         any holder  does not  beneficially  own any Class A common  stock other
         than Class A common stock into which the Notes are  convertible  at the
         conversion  price of 17.2117 shares per $1,000  principal amount of the
         Notes.

         Investing in the Notes and the Class A common stock issuable upon their
conversion involves certain risks. See "Risk Factors" beginning on page 7 of the
accompanying prospectus.

         Neither the securities and exchange commission nor any state securities
commission has approved or  disapproved  of these  securities or passed upon the
adequacy  or  accuracy  of  this  prospectus   supplement  or  the  accompanying
prospectus any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

         The date of this prospectus supplement is May 1, 2003.