[PDI LOGO]                                                          NEWS RELEASE
                                                 10 Mountainview Road Suite C200
                                            Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
                                                   T:800.242.7494 F:201.258.8400
                                                                 www.pdi-inc.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Stephen P. Cotugno
Executive Vice President-Corporate Development
PDI, Inc.

201.574.8617

               PDI REPORTS $0.40 DILUTED EPS IN FIRST QUARTER 2004

                  RAISES 2004 DILUTED EPS ESTIMATES TO A RANGE
                OF $1.20 TO $1.30 FROM A RANGE OF $1.15 TO $1.25

        ANNOUNCES TWO NEW CONTRACT SALES PROGRAMS ANTICIPATED TO GENERATE
                  APPROXIMATELY $34 MILLION IN REVENUE IN 2004

Upper Saddle River, New Jersey (Monday, May 3, 2004). PDI, Inc.  (Nasdaq:PDII) a
healthcare sales and marketing  company,  today announced its first quarter 2004
financial  results  and  the  execution  of two  new  contract  sales  programs.
Additionally,  the Company is  increasing  its 2004  diluted EPS  estimates to a
range of $1.20 to $1.30 from a range of $1.15 to $1.25.

FIRST QUARTER RESULTS

Net revenue for the quarter ended March 31, 2004 was $88.4 million, 30.8% higher
than net  revenue  of $67.5  million  for the  quarter  ended  March  31,  2003.
Operating income was $9.8 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2004, compared
to operating  income of $1.1 million for the quarter  ended March 31, 2003.  Net
income was $6.0 million for the quarter  ended March 31,  2004,  compared to net
income of $0.8 million in the quarter  ended March 31, 2003.  Diluted net income
per share for the  quarter  ended March 31,  2004 was $0.40  versus  diluted net
income per share of $0.05 for the quarter ended March 31, 2003.

NEW CONTRACT SALES PROGRAMS

The Company  announced  that it has won two new contracts in its contract  sales
business.

The first contract is with a major  pharmaceutical  company that is new to PDI's
contract  sales  services.  The contract runs from April to December 2004 and is
anticipated to generate approximately $25 million in revenue.

The second  program is a  specialty  sales  team with  Novartis  Pharmaceuticals
Corporation, the U.S. pharmaceuticals affiliate of Novartis AG. The twelve-month
contract is anticipated to generate  approximately $9 million in revenue in 2004
for a total amount of $14 million in revenue through the term of the contract.

Steven K. Budd,  President of PDI's Global Sales and Marketing  Services  Group,
said, "We are pleased to be adding an important new client to our contract sales
business and  welcoming  back a company with whom we have had a ten year working
relationship. It is a testament to our ability to deliver value for both primary
care and specialty products."


Charles T.  Saldarini,  Vice  Chairman and CEO,  said,  "We are pleased with our
performance in the first quarter which  benefitted from  performance  incentives
and  product  royalties.  As we have  seen in past  years,  our  business  model
generates larger contributions in the 1st and 4th quarters due to recognition of
performance  incentives earned in these periods. We believe that our business is
well  positioned  to add value to the  pharmaceutical  and  medical  device  and
diagnostics  manufacturers  who  are  looking  to  improve  the  efficiency  and
flexibility of their organizations through outsourcing."

WEBCAST CONFERENCE CALL

PDI will conduct a live webcast of its Earnings  Release Briefing at 9:00 AM EDT
on  Tuesday,  May 4, 2004.  The live  webcast  of the event  will be  accessible
through PDI's website,  www.pdi-inc.com  and will be archived on the website for
future on-demand  replay.  For those without  internet  access,  the call can be
accessed   by  dialing   1-877-423-4030   within   the  US  and   1-706-634-1929
internationally  and asking for the PDI Earnings  Release  Conference  Call. The
call  will  be   archived   for  two  weeks  and  can  be  accessed  by  calling
1-800-642-1687 or 1-706-645-9291 and entering the conference ID number 6774940.

ABOUT PDI

PDI,  a premier  healthcare  sales and  marketing  company,  provides  strategic
alternatives to the portfolio challenges of biopharmaceutical and medical device
and  diagnostics  manufacturers.  Focusing  on two core  businesses,  sales  and
marketing  services and product  commercialization,  PDI leverages its expertise
and commercial infrastructure to maximize profitable brand growth. Manufacturers
choose  the  relationship   which  best  meets  their  strategic  and  financial
objectives,  ranging from  individual or bundled  service  agreements to broader
commercial partnerships.

For more information, visit the Company's website at www.pdi-inc.com.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENT

THIS PRESS RELEASE CONTAINS  FORWARD-LOOKING  STATEMENTS REGARDING FUTURE EVENTS
AND  FINANCIAL  PERFORMANCE.  THESE  STATEMENTS  INVOLVE  A NUMBER  OF RISKS AND
UNCERTAINTIES  AND ARE BASED ON NUMEROUS  ASSUMPTIONS  INVOLVING  JUDGMENTS WITH
RESPECT  TO FUTURE  ECONOMIC,  COMPETITIVE  AND  MARKET  CONDITIONS  AND  FUTURE
BUSINESS  DECISIONS,  ALL OF  WHICH  ARE  DIFFICULT  OR  IMPOSSIBLE  TO  PREDICT
ACCURATELY  AND MANY OF WHICH ARE BEYOND PDI'S  CONTROL.  SOME OF THE  IMPORTANT
FACTORS  THAT  COULD  CAUSE  ACTUAL  RESULTS  TO DIFFER  MATERIALLY  FROM  THOSE
INDICATED BY THE  FORWARD-LOOKING  STATEMENTS ARE GENERAL  ECONOMIC  CONDITIONS,
CHANGES  IN OUR  OPERATING  EXPENSES,  ADVERSE  PATENT  RULINGS,  FDA  OR  LEGAL
DEVELOPMENTS,  COMPETITIVE PRESSURES,  FAILURE TO MEET PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS IN
SIGNIFICANT   CONTRACTS,   CHANGES  IN  CUSTOMER  AND  MARKET  REQUIREMENTS  AND
STANDARDS,  AND THE RISK FACTORS  DETAILED  FROM TIME TO TIME IN PDI'S  PERIODIC
FILINGS  WITH  THE  SECURITIES  AND  EXCHANGE   COMMISSION,   INCLUDING  WITHOUT
LIMITATION,  PDI'S  ANNUAL  REPORT ON FORM 10-K FOR THE YEAR ENDED  DECEMBER 31,
2003, AND PDI'S PERIODIC REPORTS ON FORMS 10-Q AND 8-K FILED WITH THE SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION SINCE JANUARY 1, 2004. THE FORWARD LOOKING-STATEMENTS IN
THIS PRESS RELEASE ARE BASED UPON MANAGEMENT'S  REASONABLE BELIEF AS OF THE DATE
HEREOF.   PDI  UNDERTAKES  NO  OBLIGATION  TO  REVISE  OR  UPDATE  PUBLICLY  ANY
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS FOR ANY REASON.




                                    PDI, INC.
                           CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
                        (in thousands, except share data)
                                   (unaudited)



                                                                  March 31,        December 31,
                                                                    2004              2003
                                                                 -----------       ----------

                                     ASSETS
                                                                               
Current assets:
   Cash and cash equivalents................................        $ 74,706         $113,288
   Short-term investments...................................          44,166            1,344
   Inventory, net...........................................             --                43
   Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful
       accounts of $1,253 and $749 as of March 31, 2004 and
       December 31, 2003, respectively......................          28,004           40,885
   Unbilled costs and accrued profits on contracts in progress        18,603            4,041
   Deferred training........................................           2,100            1,643
   Other current assets.....................................           9,080            8,847
   Deferred tax asset.......................................          11,046           11,053
                                                                    --------         --------
Total current assets........................................         187,705          181,144

Net property and equipment..................................          15,724           14,494
Deferred tax asset..........................................           7,304            7,304
Goodwill....................................................          11,132           11,132
Other intangible assets.....................................           1,495            1,648
Other long-term assets......................................           3,901            3,901
                                                                    --------         --------
Total assets................................................        $227,261         $219,623
                                                                    ========         ========

               LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

Current liabilities:
   Accounts payable.........................................        $  8,717         $  8,689
   Accrued returns..........................................          22,523           22,811
   Accrued incentives.......................................          11,093           20,486
   Accrued salaries and wages...............................          11,077            9,031
   Unearned contract revenue................................          10,299            3,604
   Restructuring accruals...................................             580              744
   Income taxes and other accrued expenses..................          17,305           15,770
                                                                    --------         --------
Total current liabilities...................................          81,594           81,135
Total long-term liabilities.................................             --               --
                                                                    --------         --------
Total liabilities...........................................        $ 81,594         $ 81,135
                                                                    --------         --------

Commitments and Contingencies

Stockholders' equity:
   Common stock, $.01 par value, 100,000,000 shares
      authorized: shares issued and outstanding, March
      31, 2004 - 14,484,341 and December 31, 2003 -
      14,387,126; 161,115 and 136,178 restricted shares
      issued and outstanding at March 31, 2004
      and December 31, 2003, respectively...................       $     147         $    145
   Preferred stock, $.01 par value, 5,000,000 shares
     authorized, no shares issued and outstanding...........            --               --
Additional paid-in capital (includes restricted of
     $4,955 and $2,361 as of March 31, 2004
     and December 31, 2003, respectively) ..................         112,881          109,531
Retained earnings...........................................          35,480           29,505
Accumulated other comprehensive income......................              54               25
Unamortized compensation costs..............................          (2,785)            (608)
Treasury stock, at cost: 5,000 shares.......................            (110)            (110)
                                                                    --------         --------
Total stockholders' equity..................................        $145,667         $138,488
                                                                    --------         --------
Total liabilities & stockholders' equity....................        $227,261         $219,623
                                                                    ========         ========





                          PDI, INC.
            CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
            (in thousands, except per share data)
                         (unaudited)



                                                                         Three Months Ended March 31,
                                                                            2004              2003
                                                                         -----------      -----------
                                                                                       
Revenue
   Service, net..........................................................  $ 88,266          $ 67,511
   Product, net..........................................................       101                34
                                                                           --------          --------
     Total revenue, net..................................................    88,367            67,545
                                                                           --------          --------
Cost of goods and services
   Program expenses (including related party amounts of
    $180 and $73 for the periods ended
    March 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively)...............................    61,707            49,881
   Cost of goods sold....................................................       145                62
                                                                           --------          --------
     Total cost of goods and services....................................    61,852            49,943
                                                                           --------          --------

Gross profit.............................................................    26,515            17,602

Operating expenses
   Compensation expense..................................................    10,216             8,874
   Other selling, general and administrative expenses....................     6,490             5,833
   Restructuring and other related expenses (credits)....................       -                (270)
   Litigation settlement.................................................       -               2,100
                                                                           --------          --------
     Total operating expenses............................................    16,706            16,537
                                                                           --------          --------
Operating income.........................................................     9,809             1,065
Other income, net........................................................       318               269
                                                                           --------          --------
Income before provision for taxes........................................    10,127             1,334
Provision for income taxes...............................................     4,152               556
                                                                           --------          --------
Net income...............................................................  $  5,975          $    778
                                                                           ========          ========

Basic net income per share...............................................  $   0.41          $   0.05
                                                                           ========          ========
Diluted net income per share.............................................  $   0.40          $   0.05
                                                                           ========          ========
Basic weighted average number of shares outstanding......................    14,461            14,166
                                                                           ========          ========
Diluted weighted average number of shares outstanding....................    14,767            14,237
                                                                           ========          ========