A biopsy device having a biopsy needle including an outer cutting needle and an inner sample needle with a tissue compartment. The device can, during each sampling operation, displace the outer cutting needle and the inner sample needle between open and closed positions of the tissue compartment. The biopsy device includes a vacuum source and a valve system to provide a pressure decrease in the tissue compartment at each sampling operation. The vacuum source has the form of at least one initially pre-evacuated vacuum container, and the biopsy device, by means of the initial vacuum of the at least one initially pre-evacuated vacuum container, provides a pressure decrease in the tissue compartment of the inner sample needle at each one of a limited number of consecutive sampling operations.