Accepted answer
Thermal history during shipping is different for every vial, so a lot that experienced thermal abuse may have internal variation even if it was originally homogeneous.
Under AQL sampling plans, testing two vials from a fifty-vial lot gives you an operating characteristic curve that tells you what risks you are accepting.
Put another way, for a quantitative result like content, the acceptable range determines how many vials you need to test to establish the lot complies.
Published data on lot homogeneity from manufacturers who sample multiple vials consistently find variation below the published specifications, suggesting the sampling plans work.
The limitation is that you cannot know for certain without testing every vial, and you almost never can afford to do that.
Assume segregation is possible, and design your sampling to catch it if it exists.
5Do you have a reference for the last claim? Not disputing it, just want to read it. – h_villanueva 6 months ago add a comment