MRX

Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation

A maker of dermatology and aesthetic treatments, Medicis brought skincare brands like Restylane and Dysport to the US, products widely used by doctors for smoothing wrinkles. Founded in 1988 in Scottsdale, Arizona, by Jonah Shacknai and John Holaday, the company grew by picking up skin, acne, and psoriasis drugs that bigger firms had overlooked. Its name plays on the Latin "medicus," meaning physician or healer, echoing the old Italian Medici family. In 2012 it was acquired by Valeant (now Bausch Health), and those aesthetic brands later passed to Galderma.