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

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT NO. 4
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
                                                                                                          
Canyon Capital Arbitrage Master Fund, Ltd.             3,750,000               *              *                     64,543
Canyon Value Realization Mac 18 Ltd. (RMF)               625,000               *              *                     10,757
Canyon Value Realization Fund, L.P.                    3,500,000               *              *                     60,240
Canyon Value Realization Fund (Cayman), Ltd.           5,625,000             1.40             *                     96,815
     Subtotal                                         $13,500,000            3.37             *                    232,355

-----------------
*Less than 1%

(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 19, 2003.