Philip Morris International Inc. plans to "meaningfully enter" the e-cigarette category later this year with the launch of a new device in select international markets, executives said Feb. 20.

The global tobacco giant plans to launch its iQOS MESH device in "one or two" markets later this year with further expansion in 2020, Philip Morris CEO and director André Calantzopoulos said during a presentation at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York conference.

The device, which launched in the U.K. in 2018, uses a patented metal mesh to heat a nicotine-infused liquid and produce flavored vapor, Calantzopoulos said.

The mesh heater is part of a nicotine liquid pod, which users replace once the pod is empty. The technology is more power efficient than other e-cigarettes with a coil or wick-based heating element and does not produce potentially harmful chemicals, he said.

The e-cigarette is a separate product from Philip Morris' flagship iQOS heated tobacco device, which also produces flavored vapor but does so by heating a tobacco plug without igniting it. Philip Morris also sells other e-cigarettes under the Vivid and Nicocig brands in the U.K. and Ireland, and under the Solaris brand in Israel and Spain, according to the company.

Philip Morris considers iQOS a leading heated tobacco device, with about 9.6 million users across 44 global markets, Calantzopoulos said. The company is also waiting for approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to launch iQOS in the U.S.

"We're hopeful that the FDA will issue its decision soon," Calantzopoulos said.

While most smokers switching to smoke-free products generally prefer heated tobacco, some in the U.K. are also using iQOS and iQOS MESH simultaneously, Calantzopoulos said.

"I see them as complementary," he said.

Calantzopoulos did not expand on where Philip Morris plans to launch iQOS MESH or exactly when the device will debut in new markets. Production capacity is limiting the launch in 2019, he said.

"Our key objective is to achieve sustainable e-vapor category leadership over time," Calantzopoulos said.