Accepted answer
The relevant detail is that the practical consequence is that spot-testing one vial from a new supplier is better than assuming they are all the same.
The sample size determination requires choosing a confidence level and an acceptable error rate, and the smaller the error rate you want, the larger your sample must be.
It helps to be literal here: if you have reason to suspect inhomogeneity — different appearance in different vials, or a long or warm shipment — testing more vials is the diagnostic move.
Published data on lot homogeneity from manufacturers who sample multiple vials consistently find variation below the published specifications, suggesting the sampling plans work.
One qualification: testing more vials gives better confidence, but at some point the cost outweighs the benefit.
If testing multiple vials, state how many you tested and why you chose those vials.
7This should probably be in the site help pages rather than buried in an answer. – fib4_reader 2 months ago 6Good answer, but the confidence interval in the cited trial is wider than implied. – Dr_Malik_Osei 4 days ago add a comment